Blurred Lines
by NightLark
Summary: Elijah goes to make the deal with Elena but she refuses. So he takes...extreme measures to ensure her survival. When you are stuck, depending on an enemy for survival all the lines blur.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Trying to kill a guy and failing is likely to just piss him off, especially when that guy is a vampire original. Elijah's back and he wants Elena. Starts S2E11 when Elijah goes to Elena's house to make a deal.**

**Re-edited, thanks to prettydeadgirl who's stories are far superior then mine, and supremely awesome/amazing. She also rewrote the last bit.**

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Elena's POV

I could hear Jenna making a lot of noise downstairs so I decided to head down and see what she was up to. Sometimes, I didn't know what was more worrying around here, loud noises or silence.

When I got to the bottom of the stairs I could see clearly what was making the noise. She was in the under stair's cupboard, pulling out boxes.

"Hey. What are you doing?" I asked. She looked up and smiled.

"Oh perfect timing" she said, handing me a giant box. I almost dropped one of the countless diaries resting on top.

"Whoa! What is this stuff?" I said, catching the diary just in time and balancing it again. As far as I was concerned, my mum used it for general storage of the heirlooms we didn't need. A lot of families in Mystic Falls had old relics, left by their ancestors. Some displayed them (like the Lockwood's), while others merely stored them until they became useful.

"You're mum's files from the historical society. I got roped into helping Mrs Lockwood" There was a tinge of regret in her voice, I almost smiled at that. Aunt Jenna's worst nightmare was Mrs Lockwood. She stood up, carrying a box with her. Her tone changed to one of eagerness and slight sarcasm. "And by roped I mean very excited to participate" She shut the cupboard door. I jumped, almost screamed when I saw who standing behind it.

"Hey. I'm Elijah," he said, smiling. I could only stare as Jenna placed her box on the table and came back to take mine.

"Elijah's in town doing research on Mystic Falls" she left and Elijah approached me.

"It's a pleasure," he said, extending his hand. The lazy smile on his face worried me, his dark eyes scrutinized my face looking for the fear that was most likely evident on it. Elijah, a very dangerous vampire who seemed incredibly difficult to kill was in my house. There had to be a reason.

I reluctantly took his hand and shook it. I shivered as a shock ran through me at his touch. I mean, just last week this guy was trying to kidnap me to take me to meet a vampire overlord and now he was playing nice with my aunt? Something was definitely up.

"So, you're welcome to stay here and rummage through this stuff or Elena and I could help load it into your car?" said Jenna, coming back and standing next to me. She was oblivious to the tension in the room. I prayed that he would leave. I didn't like him being here.

"Yeah. Or I can get somebody to pick it up tomorrow?" he suggested.

"Also a good plan." he headed towards the door, his shoulder brushing mine as he past.

"And thank you so much for inviting me into your home Jenna," that was a clear taunt towards me, a notification that he could, and probably would, enter as he pleased "And Elena," he turned to face me and smiled, evidently enjoying my discomfort at the situation "I hope to see you again sometime soon." The smile told me that he would be following up on those words. I watched as he left and immediately ran up the stairs as he disappeared from sight. I pounded on Jeremy's door. He knew about the vampires, he had to be able to help! I couldn't do this on my own!

When there was no answer to my frantic knocking, I glanced over my shoulder briefly for signs of pursuit, then my hand fumbled for the handle. A pale hand seized mine, halting me. I looked up. Damn vampires and their super speed. Elijah stood on the other side of the door. He raised a single finger to his lips. A warning. I knew what he could do if I decided to ignore it.

The door opened and Jeremy came out, headphones on.

"What is it?" he asked, pulling his headphones down around his neck. His hair was messed and his eyes were bleary, as if he'd been sleeping. Typical Jeremy, sleeping while vampires and werewolves reeked havoc through the town.

"umm" I struggled to come up with a decent excuse "Jenna was just asking me to get you to help her with the boxes"

"Oh. Yeah" he nodded and headed downstairs, oblivious to the homicidal vampire standing a few centimetres behind him. I kept my eyes firmly on Jeremy as he moved, trying not to draw suspicion, though I felt severely uncomfortable and vulnerable this way.

"It's a wise choice" I turned back. Elijah was casually leaning against the wall, hands in pockets. He seemed utterly at ease, while I was stiff with nerves. This was more then a little frustrating. I mean, this was my house, I was supposed to feel safe here! But it's hard to feel safe anywhere when you have an original standing nearby, his attention focused on you.

"What do you want?" I asked, finally through with pleasantries'. If he was going to kill me, it didn't matter if I was rude to him, it would still happen.

"I think it's time you and I had a little chat" he said. He gestured for me to enter my room. I did so reluctantly, because it meant I had my back to him. We went in and I stood by the door, ready to run (even if I knew I wouldn't get far). He wandered my room, examining my possessions at random.

"Forgive the intrusion" he said, clearing a space on my cluttered window seat "I mean your family no harm" I closed the door.  
"Why did you kill those vampires when they tried to take me?" I asked. The question had been burning in my mind since it happened. He seated himself at the window and leaned back slightly.

"Because I didn't want you to be taken" he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He must have seen my blank expression because he sighed and continued "Klaus is the most feared and hated of the originals, but those that fear him are desperate for his approval. Word gets out that the doppelganger exists, there'll be a line of vampires eager to take you to him and I can't have that" he smiled again. I was still confused.

"isn't that exactly what you're trying to do?"

"errr…let's just say that my goal is not to break the curse" I waved my hands in frustration. None of this made any sense.

"So what is your goal?"

"Klaus's obsessions have made him paranoid. He's a recluse. He only trusts those in his immediate circle"

"like you?" I thought I saw a flicker of something in his eyes as I spoke. He shook his head.

"Not anymore" a sudden thought occurred to me.

"you don't know where he is, do you?" he looked away, clearly reluctant to acknowledge this. It was obvious what he wanted now, everything made sense. "So you're trying to use me. To draw him out"

"Well to do that I need you to stay put and stop trying to get yourself killed" he leant against the wall again, arms folded, mimicking my pose from his seat.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"Well if I wasn't being truthful" he said, apparently in deep contemplation of his shirt sleeve "Your family would be dead and I'd be taking you to Klaus right now" that did make sense "Instead, I'm here and I'm prepared to offer you a deal" My ears pricked up at his words.

"What kind of deal?"

"Do nothing" he said, getting to his feet and heading to my dressing table. My diary was there and he absentmindedly flicked through the pages. I wanted to snatch it away from him "Do nothing, live your life, stop fighting. Then when the time is right you and I shall draw Klaus out together and I shall make certain that your friends remain unharmed"

"And then what?" there was something he wasn't telling me. He turned to face me.  
"Then I kill him" it was a statement, there was no question in it, not even a single flicker of emotion.

"Just like that?" I said, doubting. I saw that same emotion as earlier spark in his eyes. Clearly, he didn't enjoy being doubted.

"Just like that" he confirmed "I'm a man of my word Elena. I make a deal, I keep a deal"

"How are you going to be able to keep everybody safe?"

"You know I noticed you have a friend…Bonnie is it? She seems to possess the gift of magic. I have friends with similar gifts"

"You know witches" I clarified.

"Together we can protect everybody that matters to you" he took a step towards me. I fought the urge to move back. I couldn't show any fear. "So do we have a deal?" I met his gaze. I thought about Stefan in the tomb, with Katherine. The opportunity was too good to miss.

"I need you to do one more thing for me"

"We're negotiating now?" he seemed a bit stunned, and partly amused by this, as he had been when I met him, the first time I tried a negotiation. That hadn't turned out very well, a small part of my mind reminded me. I ignored it and carried on. I needed to get Stefan out, I needed Stefan.  
"Stefan is trapped in the tomb with Katherine. I want you to get him out"

"What about her?"

"I don't care what happens to Katherine, all I want is for Stefan to be free. I want you to free him" he considered for a minute, then returned to the window seat.

"You know Elena, I don't think I will"

"Why not?" I asked, startled. I was sure he'd agree.

"Firstly, because Stefan and his brother were very rude to me" I remembered how Stefan had shot at him with a crossbow, how Damon had impaled him with a coat hook. Yes, that could be considered as rude by some. Homicidal by others "And secondly, because I simply don't feel the need Elena. The Salvatore brothers are of…limited interest to me and are of no great value"

"Then I'll go. I'll get myself killed. I won't take your deal" I threatened. He sighed, not liking the way our negotiation was turning out.

"Well then I guess I'll just have to take you with me" he said, getting to his feet slowly.

"You wouldn't"

"Oh, but I would. You see, I am not a Salvatore - I don't play games with humans. You had your choice, Elena; to protect those you love. You chose to ignore my offer, so I suppose I'll just have to make sure you're safe in a... slightly more dramatic manner," his voice resounded darkly, seemingly erasing any room for humane compromise. I backed away as he approached, refusing to take my eyes off the vampire - his own eyes wicked in contrast. Through continuous steps backward I had nearly made it to the door. I turned, and I ran - as fast as I possibly could - desperate for access to the exit; to safety. Before I'd reached the doorknob Elijah flashed in front of me, grabbing my hair and yanking me close. My heart was pounding, frantically in my chest as his lips grazed my throat; my breath coming in short gasps as his trailing lips moved toward my ear.  
"Thank you for having the good sense to be frightened," he whispered, his voice undeservingly elegant in the way he spoke, sickeningly vile. He knocked me over the head with something large and heavy before I could reply or react, leaving me helpless as blackness engulfed me.

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**A/N: I love the vampire diaries program. Tried the books…not so much. I couldn't get past the first chapter, and believe me I tried. A lot. I think there aren't enough Elijah fics, and the ones that are out there are all the same. So, I wrote this. It maybe be…kind of the same as the others but I'm hoping to stick in some more. I must say, I did steal the majority of the above lines from the episode. My favourite is definitely the last one. Now, if I keep working hopefully by the end I'll be able to spell Elena correctly without my computer telling me.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I realised in the last chapter when Elijah says 'He's a reckless' that he's actually supposed to be saying 'he's a recluse'. No wonder that sentence didn't make much sense. Well, I was copying the lines down by watching a youtube video. **

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When I opened my eyes, I was in a car. My head ached but I knew that was to be expected. I looked around and realised that the car was empty. I remembered what had happened clearly. Elijah had knocked me out…which most likely meant I was in his car. And he wasn't here.

This was probably going to be the only chance I had to get out.

I slowly opened the car door (surprised that it was unlocked), grabbed my bag which was resting at my feet, I could only assume Elijah had brought it with us, and started to run. I didn't look back at first, focused on putting as much distance between me and the car as possible. It was only when I thought I'd gone far enough that I glanced back. No signs of pursuit. I returned my attention to the path ahead.

Suddenly, my feet fell out from under me. I plummeted to the ground, landing with a thump. I felt something heavy resting on my back, pressing me into the dirt and I felt a wave of nausea as the owner of the object spoke.

"Now, Elena, I wouldn't recommend you do that again" said Elijah's unique voice. I twisted my head around, partly so I could breath without inhaling dirt and partly so I could see exactly what was happening behind me. Elijah was standing there, one foot on my back. I groaned internally at my own stupidity and turned my face away again, raking my hands at the ground in frustration. I felt my bag strap in my hand and I remembered some of the things that had been in there. No doubt he'd removed the stake Alaric had given me as well as the small vial of vervain liquid I had but perhaps…I slipped my hand inside, feeling around. There had to be something, he couldn't have taken everything, surely.

"Are you going to come back willingly or are you going to resist? I won't hesitate to knock you out again, though I am sure that wouldn't be very pleasant for you" he said. He sounded almost amused by my predicament. I ignored him and continued my search. I felt something sharp, buried under a bundle of clothing. I traced the shape with my finger, guessing what it was. A pencil?

Okay, a pencil probably wouldn't do much good against Elijah considering the guy had been impaled and survived but it might buy me the few vital seconds of time I needed. I grabbed the pencil and withdrew my hand, being careful to hide my weapon in my sleeve.

"I'll come with you. Just let me up! I can barely breath" I managed to say. I felt the weight disappear and he pulled me to my feet. He spun me around so I was facing him, keeping hold of one arm (fortunately it was the arm without the pencil).

"Hmm…you didn't really think you could escape, did you Elena?" I did not meet his eye. Instead, I appraised his black shirt, picked my spot and shoved the pencil into his chest. He cried out in pain, but didn't release my arm. I twisted away, tugging in vain, not caring if I hurt my wrist. Thankfully, I managed to get free. I started running again. I heard noises of pursuit behind me, and then I was trapped, my back against his chest. One arm was wrapped around my waist, the other pushed my head slightly to the side, bearing my neck.

"Elena, if I thought there was any chance of you getting away from me, I wouldn't have left the car door unlocked, now would I?" I felt something sharp resting against my neck. Was he going to bite me? I quivered with fear and let out a gasp as whatever it was slid through my skin. It didn't hurt the way I expected it too. It was more like a little bee sting.

"What are you doing?" I muttered.

"Just making sure you won't run away again" he released me and I stumbled forward. I saw an empty syringe in his hand and knew I'd been drugged. I moved away from him, almost running backwards. He walked slowly towards me, looking at his watch, clearly waiting for whatever he had injected into me to take effect. It didn't take long. My legs began to feel heavy, dead, and everything was blurry. I knew I wouldn't be able to even attempt another escape for a while.  
"What was that?" I said, falling to my knees, my hands pressed against the floor for security and balance.

"Just a simple narcotic. You shouldn't be up to moving for the remainder of our journey" he approached me and scooped me into his arms. I tried to move away, hating the proximity between us but he held onto me.

"Oh no you don't" he scolded. We were at the car in a flash and he placed me in the passenger seat, buckling me in.

"Do you have any other pencils or sharp objects scattered about your person that you might want to tell me about before they become lodged in my chest?" he asked, pleasantly as if I hadn't just tried to stab him. He seated himself in the driver's seat but didn't start the engine.

"No" I said. And if I did I wouldn't tell you, I thought.

"You better be telling the truth," he said, a hint of menace slipping into his calm voice for the first time.  
"I am" I said, staring at him. He gazed at me, his dark eyes meeting mine as he chose whether or not to believe me. In the end he decided that was I telling the truth. He sighed and started the engine.  
"You should probably go back to sleep"

"Do I have a choice?" I slurred. Whatever he'd stuck in my system was having weird effects on me.

"No. I gave you enough to knock out a small cow" he laughed.

"Why did you drug me? You could have got me back in the car without it. You could have compelled me or something"

"Yes I could, but it's a lot easier this way. Compelling is tiresome. We have a long journey ahead of us and I didn't particularly want to start it already tired. And, this way I don't have to worry about you running off every time I turn my back because you're unconscious" he said it as if it should be obvious to anyone. It also made me realise something.  
"So you're going to keep drugging me?"

"If I have to" he said "But only if you force my hand Elena" I stared at him, blankly "How about we make a deal? I won't drug you again as long as you don't try to run, hurt me, hurt yourself or anything else" he suggested.

"So basically I have to do whatever you say or you'll force me to do whatever you say?"

"That pretty much sums it up"

"You know, the last deal I tried to make with you blew up in my face, why should I trust you this time?"

"Because you're going to end up doing the same things no matter what choice I give you. It's your choice if you do it willingly or not"

"Huh" I said, turning so I was facing away from him.

"You should be grateful I'm actually giving you a choice. A lot of kidnap victims don't have that luxury, especially those kidnapped by vampires"

"Do a lot of vampires kidnap people?"

"It's not common. My people prefer to attack and kill rather then draw things out, I am doing something entirely unique"

"Well at least you're acknowledging the fact that you kidnapped me" I muttered. I felt my eyelids growing heavy. I didn't want to sleep but I didn't have a choice.

"You're a jerk" I said. I wished I could have done, or at least said, something more forceful and impressive but the drugs were messing with my mind. Every word was an effort. I heard him laugh slightly.

"I have been called many things in the years but a 'jerk' is not one of them"

"Glad I'm the first" I closed my eyes and reclined in the soft leather seat. I thought I heard Elijah say something but I couldn't hear properly, and personally I didn't care. Silently I cursed everything. The stupid vampires, stupid Elijah and his stupid deals, stupid drugs…

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**A/N: hmm, getting a bit too cosy for my liking, Elena. Better remind you of who you're dealing with.**


	3. Chapter 3

When I woke up this time, I wasn't in the car. I was in a rather soft and comfortable (and big) bed. I slipped out, immediately noting that I wasn't wearing the clothes I'd been wearing before. I was wearing…underwear. And that was being nice about it. The outfit I was in barely even qualified for underwear. I groaned, cursing the stupid drugs once again. Looked like _someone _had been taking advantage of the fact I was unconscious and used it as an excuse to feel me up. There was sandwich on the bedside table, and a bottle of water. I didn't touch either of them, worried that he'd drug me again. I guessed that was what he'd been retrieving when I'd first attempted my escape, either that or we'd made another stop between then and here.

Wherever here was.

I looked around the room searching for some clue. I guessed it was a hotel room because there was the basic nondescript furniture: bed, sofa, TV, desk and chairs. Everything was neat and each piece of furniture matched the last, it was far too coordinated to belong to anything but a hotel. The prints on the wall continued the bland theme, reproduction abstracts that gave no hints to the location of the hotel. There were two doors. One was near the bed, the other across the room. I guessed one would lead to a bathroom, and, going from my experience in hotels, it would be the one nearest the bed. I tried the other one, hoping it would be unlocked but knowing it wouldn't. Of course, it didn't budge. I sighed. The curtains were closed. I thought about opening them but decided against it. No doubt they'd been closed for a reason. Besides, if I did open them and found out where I was, how would that help? I considered jumping out of it but theorised that it was unlikely for me to be on a floor that I could jump from and still survive.

Instead of appeasing my curiosity, I looked around the room again, this time trying to find something useful; my eyes landing on a jacket hanging on the back of a chair. It was Elijah's suit jacket I realised after a second of staring at it. I approached it cautiously, as if he might suddenly materialise inside it and give me one of his evil smiles. Of course, he didn't. When I slipped my hand into a pocket, I half expected to find a rattlesnake or something equally as nasty. I was startled when my hand came into contact with a slim metal rectangle. A phone! He'd actually left a phone within easy reach? Or was this a trick?

I decided I didn't care and flicked it open and started to dial Stefan.

Then I remembered…Stefan was still trapped in the tomb with Katherine. Which meant I had two options. I could put the phone back, sit on the bed and wait for Elijah to return from wherever he was, or I could ring Damon and ask for help. Of course, Damon wasn't very happy with me at the moment. He didn't approve of my attempts to get myself killed. Still, he hated Elijah which might persuade him. I sighed and dialled Damon's number.

"Hey, this is Damon. You're paying so get talking," the message said. I scowled. Of course I'd get his bloody answer phone, that was just flipping typical! No doubt he was too busy with that Rose girl and drowning whatever sorrows he had.

"Hey, it's Elena…" I began. Then the phone was violently knocked out of my hand. I snapped around. Strong arms grabbed me, slamming me against the wall. Ouch, that hurt. I looked at my attacker, fearing the worst and getting it. Elijah was there, fully vamped out. Shit.

"Elena…" he growled. I felt the first shiver of fear inside me since this whole business had begun. I'd never seen him loose his composure. Even when Damon and Stefan had been fighting him he hadn't vamped out. He'd always remained calm. I'd finally caused him to loose his façade.

Shit, I was doomed.

He didn't say anything but his eyes met mine. I knew he was trying to compel me. I wanted to look away but couldn't. I was held in place by the power of his eyes. I silently prayed he wouldn't see my vervain necklace was once again hanging around my neck.

"What have I told you" he began, his voice smooth as silk "about wearing vervain?" He snatched the necklace away, pocketing it. He grabbed my hair, very much like he'd done the first time we met, forcing me to look at him.

"Elena. Who were you talking to?" I felt the compulsion affecting my brain. I tried to fight it but the words spewed out of my mouth before I could stop them.

"Damon Salvatore" I said, involuntarily. He looked confused for a minute, probably surprised by my choice of rescuer.

"Why would you do that?"

"I was going to ask him to come and get me"

"That's not a very good idea Elena. I could easily kill him if comes anywhere near me, or you…however, if he doesn't know where you are I don't have to. Did you tell him anything?"

"No. I got his voicemail. I didn't get time to say anything"

"Good. You are going to call him back and say that you have gone out of town for a bit. Tell him that the reception is bad and you won't be able to call again. Then you will give me the phone and _never_" he snarled the word "go through my possessions again" he released my neck, allowing me some space. I moved against my will to retrieve the phone which was on the floor. The message was still recording.  
"I'm sorry Damon, the reception here is bad. I have gone out of town for a while. I won't be able to call again. Bye" I said, robotically I hung up and handed the phone to Elijah. He returned me to his favourite position, up against the wall with him blocking every escape route. One hand was on my waist, the other held my chin. He roughly twisted my head, baring my neck. I felt his fangs grazing my skin.

"Elena. I thought we'd discussed this. You promised to do what I said" His eyes no longer on me I was free from his compulsion. I could struggle as much as I liked, even if it didn't make any difference.

"I never promised!" I cried out.

"Still, you know it would be much better if you did as you were told. Do you understand what I'm trying to do here?"

"You kidnapped me" I whimpered.

"I'm trying to protect you" he stated.

"And you can't do that while I'm in the comfort of my own home?" I argued.

"We already tried that option Elena. You didn't want to, remember? Your refused the deal" He was twisting it, making me seem like the unreasonable one! It was his fault, not mine. I'd only refused to try and force him into freeing Stefan.

"No, all I wanted was for you to use your amazing connections to get my boyfriend out of the bloody tomb! You were the one who refused! I merely tried to convince you!"

"No, what you tried to do was bluff me. Let me remind you of something you appear to have missed. I am not a Salvatore. As I told you before, I do not play games with humans" he pulled my head further to the side and shoved his fangs into my neck. I screamed, a combination of pain and shock. My hands clawed desperately at his, trying to get him to release me but he clung tight as he fed. The hand he'd placed on my face moved so it was covering my mouth, blocking my screams. I even tried to bite his hand in an attempt to get away.

He pulled his fangs from my neck, releasing it from his bite. The hand at my waist dug harder into my flesh.

"Don't try that again Elena" he warned. I screamed against his hand, kicking out at him. He growled and tossed me onto the bed. I lay there for a second, waiting to see if he moved again. He just stood there, glaring at me. After a few minutes I dared move again. I got up and all but ran into the bathroom. I locked the door and slipped down to the ground, my head resting against the wood. I knew that, if he wanted to, he could just knock it down. I was completely at his mercy and for the first time I accepted that. I began to cry as that knowledge sunk in. I'd been living on the hope that someone, somehow would save me but now I knew that would not be. I sat there for what seemed like an age, allowing my pent up tears to flow down my cheeks. I didn't care if he could hear me crying nor what he thought of these tears.

Eventually my tears dried up and I forced myself to my feet. I managed to carry myself to the full length mirror that stood on the western wall. I stood in front, taking stock of my appearance. My waist was bruised with a clear finger pattern and some scratches, that I guessed were from Elijah's nails, were starting to bleed. I stared at the marks, not wanting to move to the more severe wounds that rested on my throat even though I knew I had to. I moved my head to the side exposing my throat, wincing at the movement. Some strands of hair had stuck themselves to the congealing blood. I pulled them away, hating the feeling of bloodstained hair under my finger. The bite was probably not as bad as it could have been, it merely appeared that way due to the large amount of blood leaking from it and staining the skin around it. I pressed a towel to my throat, stemming the flow, then stumbled to the shower. I turned it on high and waited for the water to warm up. I didn't even spare the time to remove the revealing scraps of lace masquerading as underwear. I sat myself under the stream of water, letting it run over me. The hot water stung my tender skin but I ignored it. I began to cry again and my tears mingled with the blood tinged water, disappearing down the drain.


	4. Chapter 4

As much as I would have liked to, I knew that I could not stay in a shower for the rest of my life. For one thing, the hot water had run out and was now very cold. For another, I knew that eventually I would have to leave the room in order to get food and drink, which meant I would have to face Elijah. Hopefully he would have calmed down by now.

I decided to dress and dry my hair in the bathroom, giving him more time to cool off. However, then I realised that my plan had a very large hole in it. My clothes, my bag and everything that Elijah had put in it were not in here. I'd been in such a hurry to get out of that room that I hadn't remembered to bring clothes, hair brush. The only towel in here was bloodstained, and I had no desire to put that anywhere near me again. Which meant if I wanted to change out of my soaked undergarments I had to go into the bedroom wearing them. Huh.

I tentatively approached the bathroom door and unlocked it. I silently opened it and peeked through the gap. Elijah, his face once more returned to normal, was reclining upon the bed. His eyes were closed as he lay in peaceful serenity.

"Do you plan on standing there for the rest of the day?" he asked, without opening his eyes.

"I was just looking for my clothes" I said, my nerves leaking into my voice. His eyes flickered open and found mine immediately. He looked me up and down, his gaze lingering on the areas covered only by damp lace. A small smile appeared on his face. I folded my arms over my chest, covering my breasts as much as I could.

"Your bag's in the car" he said, closing his eyes again. I assumed that this meant he wouldn't be going to retrieve it any time soon.

"And in the meantime I'm supposed to just stay in these ridiculously inappropriate bits of underwear you decided to dress me in, until you decide to go and get my clothes?"

"That is pretty much the idea. Besides, why would I bring you clothes when I can enjoy myself watching you like this? You're very beautiful Elena"

"Pervert" I said.

"You should learn some respect Elena"

"I only respect those who deserve my respect" He sighed and got up. He grabbed something off the desk and came over to me. I flinched as he approached and I saw him smile slightly, enjoying my reaction. He held out his hand, offering whatever it was he had picked up. I realised it was a towel and immediately reached out to snatch it. He withdrew at the last second.

"Now Elena, did you learn anything from our little…conversation earlier? Are you going to do as I say now?" I looked away from him but he grabbed my chin, forcing me to look him in the eye.

"Answer me" he said, his eyes flickering with the power of his compulsion.

"Yes, I will do as you say" I said, reluctantly. He released my chin and handed me the towel. He returned to his seat on the bed.

"You really should bandage up your neck Elena, losing all that blood can't be good for you" he smiled. I glared back at him, taking the towel and wrapping it around my shoulders. I couldn't do anything until he brought me my bag, and I didn't feel much like talking to Elijah, so instead I sat down on a chair as far away from him as possible.

"You didn't eat the food I left for you" he said, suddenly.

"No, I wasn't very hungry" he laughed once.

"You're not a very good liar Elena, not by vampire standards anyway. When you live for as long as I have, you get to practice lying enough that you can tell when someone else is doing it"

"Fine, I didn't eat the food because I thought you might drug me again. Happy?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Reasonably. At least you're being honest" I looked away, wincing in pain as the movement irritated my neck. Elijah came to my side and reached out for me. I jerked away instinctively. He knelt beside me.

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want a look"

"You did it, you should know what it looks like" I muttered. He sighed impatiently.

"Elena, whether or not you want my help you've got it. Now, just sit still" he said. He moved my hair away from my neck, exposing the bite mark. He thought for a few minutes before standing up.

"wait here, don't move. I'll be back in a second" he ordered. I stayed where I was as the door opened and closed so fast it was a blur. An instant later he was back, with a bag in hand. He placed it on the bed and pulled out what looked like a first aid kit.

"I had a feeling I'd require this at some point. I didn't realise it would be so soon" he said to himself. He returned to my side and placed a hand on my shoulder. I flinched at the contact.

"Elena, it would be a lot easier to do this if you sat still" he scolded. I forced my body to go rigid as he gently cleaned my neck. My eyes roamed the original's form. His eyes, which I had previously assumed to be brown verging on black, I now realised where actually closer to dark green, jade or teal. There was a spark of amusement in them that was sometimes masked by his characteristic sombreness, as if he found the very thought of existence humouress. His face was as calm and collected as always, there was the tiniest glimmer of the arrogant half-smile he sometimes allowed to play across his features. His hair was neat, in it's normal perfectly ordered side part.

My eyes trailed down his body as he ignored my blatant fascination. His suit was custom made I guessed. It fitted perfectly, neither revealing or hiding any part of him. I briefly wondered what he looked like without it. A pained gasp came from my mouth, distracting me from my thoughts, as the antiseptic stung my tender skin.

"Elena" he warned.

"What? It hurts!" I was actually glad for the pain to call a halt to my roving mind.

"It will hurt a lot more if it gets infected" he told me. I rolled my eyes. Did he think I was a child?

"Says the vampire who bit me in the first place" I reminded him. He ignored my comment and finished cleaning the wound. He took a large plaster and stuck it over the mark.

"Now," he said, in a business like fashion "is there anywhere else that hurts?" I briefly considered telling him about the cuts on my waist but I decided they were too small to worry about.

"No. I'm fine"

"Good" he stood up and went to the bag on the bed. He pulled some clothes out of it and tossed them to me "Get dressed, we're leaving soon"

"Remind me again where we're going?" I asked.

"I didn't tell you before, I won't tell you now. Especially not after you attempted to ring for rescue" he turned to face me, his smile on his face fully now "I'm no fool Elena" I glared at him and took the clothes into the bathroom to get dressed. I gave them the quick once over before I put them on, just in case he'd done another trick of picking something totally stupid and impractical. He'd given me…a dress. Really? I sighed and peered at the underwear. Apparently he'd been shopping because I didn't recognize any of the clothes. I groaned but decided that picking a fight over his wardrobe choices was probably not the best idea so I put on the, once again, totally immodest lingerie style underwear and the oversized red t-shirt with narrow white stripes across it which was pretending to be a dress. I towel dried my hair, not bothering to do anything other then brush it. By the sounds of it, I was going to be trapped in a car for a while. I left the bathroom. Elijah was leaning against the bedroom door, a look of impatience on his face. I noticed that the bedroom had been tidied so thoroughly that it looked like we hadn't been there.

"Where's the towel?" he asked.

"What?" I said, incredibly confused by such a random question.

"The towel you used to clean your neck. Where is it?" okay, it was slightly creep that he knew that. I pointed to the bathroom and he disappeared inside. When he returned he was stuffing the blood-soaked towel into a bag.

"We have a long journey ahead of us, we should be going" he said, handing me the bag "now are you going to walk like a good girl or do I need to…force you?" his hand lingered on my arm for a second. I jerked away from him.

"I'll walk, thanks"

"Good," he took my wrist and dragged me along. I tried to look at my surroundings as he pulled me down the corridor but we were moving too fast. We didn't stop until we neared reception. Elijah pulled us into an alcove and held me there.

"You try anything and I will kill everyone in this building," he threatened "understand?" I nodded frantically. We left the hiding place and entered reception. The receptionist, a plastic crafted blonde peroxide woman, smiled when she saw Elijah, but her smile faded when she noticed me. I saw her trying to fit the pieces together. Suave, handsome business man. Teenage girl. One bedroom, double bed. I saw her add up in her head and get the completely wrong answer.  
"I'd like to check out please," said Elijah, smiling at her.

"Of course sir. Anything you want" the look she gave him told me exactly what she wanted. I couldn't help the glare that slipped onto my face. Elijah turned to me.

"Ready to go?" I nodded. We started to move when the receptionist called out to us.

"Sir! You forgot to sign the visitor's book!" I heard him mutter something under his breath before he turned back.

"I didn't realise that was required?" he said, approaching the desk once more.

"It is here I'm afraid" her eyes flickered to me. I ignored her and focused on Elijah. She looked up at him and I saw her become hypnotised by his gaze.

"Now, I need you to forget that we were ever here. The instant we leave the building, you forget. If anybody asks you say that you didn't see us, the room was never used" he said, his voice as smooth as silk.

"You were never here" she intoned.

"Very good" he looked away and I saw her jerk out of her trance. He came to my side and grabbed my arm.  
"Come along Elena" he said, leading me to the car. He held the door open for me and I climbed in. In a second he was in the driver's seat. He gave me a assessing gaze, waiting for me to speak.

"Was that really necessary?"

"Well unless you'd prefer me to kill her…" he made as if to leave the car again.

"I don't see why you have to do anything"

"Because Elena, I don't like being followed and my way ensures that. If no one knows where we've been then they cannot predict where we are going" he started the engine.

"I don't think anyone else cares where we're going, except me. And you won't tell me that" I said. I saw something flicker in his eyes, some sort of strange emotion that didn't suit his masked expression.

"Nobody is without enemies, Elena"


	5. Chapter 5

We drove in silence as I had no desire to talk with the malevolent vampire beside me. I kept my eyes firmly focused on the scenery that flashed past…

"Are you hungry yet?" Elijah asked me, after a while. I turned to see that I was the subject of his intense scrutiny. I wondered how he could drive without crashing when he wasn't even looking at the road. I didn't ask because I knew he'd come up with the incredibly overused 'I'm a vampire' answer. Stefan did that sometimes. It was rather irritating.

"No. Are you?" I asked. He shrugged.

"I could eat but it's not particularly necessary at this point. Why? Are you offering?" I looked away, unable to meet his intense gaze any longer.

"Not after last time" I said, folding my arms. He laughed softly.

"Well, at least I asked this time. I take it Stefan has never bitten you then?" he asked.

"No. Why would he do that?" I replied, genuinely confused.

"Because he's a vampire" he said, stating the obvious.

"I know that but just because he's a vampire it doesn't mean he has to bite everything with a pulse. Besides, Stefan wouldn't do that. He loves me"

"How do you know?" his question disarmed me. It was so random, so off subject and out of character for him (or, rather what I'd seen of his personality and assumed).

"What do you mean?"

"How do you know he loves you?" he reiterated.

"I know he does" of course Stefan loved me, I knew that. Everyone knew that. I never questioned why or how I knew that, it was just part of who I was.

"How?" he probed. I looked over him, slightly confused and startled by his sudden interest into my personal life. I'd made a decision to keep my life and evil vampires as far away from each other as possible after too many near death experiences.

"Why do you care?" I asked, hoping that my questions would distract him from his own.

"I never said I did. I am merely curious as to how you came to be so sure of his feelings to you. I've known many vampires in my years Elena. Relationships with human's do not work unless it is a feeding relationship, since then the human is compelled to feel whatever is needed, and will love the vampire unconditionally no matter how many times they hurt them."

"That's your idea of love?" I asked, staring at him. This time, it was he who broke away first, returning his focus to the road much to my relief.

"No, that's my idea of reality. Humans and vampires do not work together. It only ends with the human getting hurt or killed"

"I'm still alive. And Stefan has never hurt me"

"Really?" there was a tone of disbelief in his voice. I stuck my chin out defiantly.

"Yes, really. Stefan would never hurt me" Silence reigned once more in the car. I was glad for it, these constant probing questions were irritating.

"You never answered my question" he said, after a while.

"Which one? You've been asking so many" I pointed out. Of course I knew which question he was talking about; I merely chose to feign ignorance in a second attempt to distract him from these uncomfortable questions.

"Makes a change, normally you are the curious one" he muttered under his breath.

"I gave up asking because I know you won't answer" I said, venomously.

"Yes, as you have no right to pry into affairs which don't concern you"

"And you do? It's my life, it concerns me a bit more then it concerns you, I think"

"Your wrong Elena" he said, softly before reverting back to normal "When I asked how you knew that Stefan loved you. You didn't answer. So how do you know?"

"He tells me" I said, simply "he shows that he loves me"

"That doesn't mean anything. Emotions spoken are merely lies strung together to please others, or hurt them. True emotions are too deep and complex to be explained away by a simple sentence. I could say that I loved you, it wouldn't be true and you would know that"

"Yes, because you're an evil vampire who wants me to die so it's pretty obvious that you don't love me. Stefan is a young man who just happens to require blood to survive, but is also a very sensitive and cares a great deal about my welfare" I said, trying to put it into terms he would understand.

"Fine, that was a bad example. How about Damon Salvatore? It's pretty clear that he…cares for you. Even a blind man could see that. And the mere fact that you would choose him to phone for rescue rather then another vampire or your witch friend proves you care for him too"

"Damon is in love with Katherine, not me. He's in love with the idea of me as her, not myself" I protested, feebly. "And I care about Damon as a friend. Only"  
"See? He tells you yet you deny it! He could proclaim his love from the rooftops and you would continue to deny it. When does love become real for you Elena? When you want it too?" he demanded. His voice was still calm, yet the way he spoke was aggressive. This scared me more then full frontal anger. How could I understand what he was feeling when he was so good at hiding it? He could be on the verge of murdering me and I wouldn't know until it was too late. I knew it was best not to aggravate him, however my natural response was to argue.

"Why do you want to know all this? Why are you so sure that Stefan doesn't love me? What are you trying to prove?" I shouted. He ignored my irritation, the only sign that he heard any of it was a slight change in the speed of the car. I slumped back in my seat and closed my eyes. I decided to pretend that I was in the family car, on our way to the lake house for another family vacation. I remembered the last family vacation I'd been on. Jeremy had got sick, so Aunt Jenna had picked him up. Mum, dad and me were heading home to see him when…that was the day the car crashed. The day my parents died and Stefan saved me.

My eyes snapped open, suddenly prepared with an answer for Elijah's incessant questioning.

"He saved me life. That's how I know that I'm safe with him, that I can trust him"

"You are forgetting Elena that I too have saved your life yet you don't trust me, do you?"

"No" I said, bluntly. I wouldn't trust him to look after a pot plant, let alone anyone living and breathing (or undeading, if that's a word)

"Good, you'd be a fool to trust any vampire, especially me" he smiled at me. I groaned and banged my head against the dashboard in frustration.

"Of all the vampires to be kidnapped by, why couldn't it be one who likes me?" I said, more to myself then to anyone else.

"You are wrong in assuming I dislike you, Elena. It is true I find you irritating and stubborn at times, however I have not known you long enough to form a full opinion of you"

"A lot of people are good at snapshot opinions. Like Damon. He decided he didn't like you within the first five minutes of meeting you"

"Does Damon really like the company of any man, whether he be human or vampire? I assumed he saw them all as potential competition, and their mere existence, a strike to his already over inflated ego"

"That's probably true. Damon isn't good with competition. The only reason he hasn't kill Stefan is because they're brothers" I mused this for a moment or two.

"And now Stefan is imprisoned, which must be utter bliss for him" I thought I detected a note of sarcasm in his voice but I wasn't sure. I sighed and went back to staring out the window.

"You're bored, aren't you?" he said, his tone amused. His words reminded me of a father speaking to a child during a long journey.  
"How could I ever possibly be bored when I have such scintillating company?" I quipped.

"Touché" He nodded towards the bag, resting at my feet. "There might be something's in there"

I picked up the bag and sorted through it. I quickly came out with a few novels that I recognized and, what amazed me most, my diary! He'd brought it with us.

"Why'd you bring this?" I asked, tapping the leather cover gently with my fingernail.

"I thought it would be important to you. Besides, everyone needs an outlet Elena, somebody to talk to, especially when they are of your age and thrust into a situation such as this. I figured you'd rather write down your feelings then converse with me willingly"

"huh" I said, as my only response. Suspicion suddenly filled me and I turned to look at him sharply "You didn't read it, did you?"

"There are many things in the world I would rather do then read a book full of the worries and angst of a teenage girl" he said. I took that as a no, and I was glad.  
"Don't read twilight" I warned him. I put the diary back in the bag and turned to one of the novels packed.

"Your choices or random?" I asked, peering at the cover.

"Mine, mostly. I had a quick look at your bookshelves, chose some that I thought seemed interesting as well as some of the seemingly more read ones. I must say, you have a rather eclectic and unusual taste in literature, Elena"

"Why? Have you been snooping around a lot of teenage girl's bedrooms to find out what they read?" when he didn't comment I added "That was a joke"

"I know, I just didn't find it particularly amusing" I sighed, cursing my misfortune that I ended up with a vampire who apparently had a limited sense of humour.


	6. Chapter 6

We'd been driving for hours, it was getting dark and I desperately wanted to sleep. I'd always had trouble sleeping in any vehicle, moving or stationary, especially when I didn't have the back seats to stretch out. Eventually I managed to doze off, but the second I did Elijah woke me up again.

"Elena."

"What?" I sighed in frustration when he didn't answer, rolled over as much as the confining seat would allow me and closed my eyes again.

"Elena!"

"What?" I asked, jerking up right and glaring at him. He was staring at me.

"You are not going to fall asleep" he told me. It wasn't a request, it was an order I realised.

"Why? I'm tired! You may be a powerful vampire who can drive for hours straight without being tired but I'm not! I need to sleep!"

"You can sleep when I tell you to sleep and that's not yet. We have a stop to make first. Besides, if you go to sleep now you won't eat anything and no matter what you say you are going to eat something" his eyes were dark and powerful.

"Fine but once I've eaten can I please sleep?" I was exhausted for some reason.

"Yes you can but not until I say. Now eat the sandwich I bought you, like a good girl. It's in the bag" I hated the way he spoke to me like a stubborn toddler. I pulled out the sandwich and quickly checked the label. BLT. Okay, so he was good at picking sandwiches.

I opened the packet and pulled out the bacon, still reluctant to eat despite what he said. Yes I wanted to sleep but I disliked being drugged.

"What?" I asked when I saw him staring at me "I'm a vegetarian" I lied. I saw brief flicker of confusion flash through his eyes before it disappeared.

"No you're not" he said, his tone confident.

"Now you're telling me my own eating habits?" I said, leaving the sandwich on my lap and folding my arms.

"Elena, I can smell a vegetarian a mile away. Their blood smells like sewage to a vampire. Also, if you were a vegetarian you wouldn't just pick the bacon out, you wouldn't eat any of the sandwich. You are not a vegetarian Elena, you are merely being picky while you continue to find new ways to irritate me" I slid the bacon back in the sandwich and ate it in three bites. I hadn't realised quite how hungry I was until I started eating. When I finished I noticed Elijah was watching me, with a small amused smile on his face.

"Can I sleep now?" I asked.

"Not yet. We have to make a brief stop"

"So why can't I sleep through the stop?"

"Because last time I left you in a car by yourself when you were asleep, the instant you woke up you ran away. Personally I have no desire to be attacked with a pencil again. You ruined one of my best shirts that night" I stared at him. All his shirts looked exactly the same, they only varied in shades of black and grey.

"So where are we going? I mean where are we stopping, not where we're going in general because I know you won't answer"

"You'll see" he said. I sighed. I confessed that I was permanently curious, I asked too many questions and the fact that he wouldn't answer any of them drove me insane.

"Would it kill you to give me a straight answer, just once?" I snapped. He didn't reply, didn't even bother to look in my direction.

After about another half hour of driving we pulled up in an empty car park. There was a large supermarket and a couple of other shops, all closed now. The car park was dark, there were only a few street lights, widely spaced out.

"What are we doing here?" I asked.

"Getting dinner" he said, simply.

"I just ate and the shop's closed" I said. He stared at me for a minute before I caught onto what he actually meant "Oh. There's no one around here"

"There's always someone around Elena. Look" he pointed and I could just see a small figure walking across the car park. She was wearing a miniskirt and a tank top. Her hair was made up of carefully styled curls and, though I couldn't see the colour, I immediately thought of Caroline. She was clutching her handbag close, glancing around nervously.

"Now" Elijah began, taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves "What I want you to do, is sit on the floor underneath my jacket, don't come out or make a single sound"

"Why do I need…you're bring the girl into the car, aren't you?"

"Contrary to popular opinion, a lot of vampires don't like to eat with their victim pressed up against a wall…"

"You didn't seem to care earlier" I muttered rubbing my neck, earning a slight glare from Elijah. I wasn't sure if that was a response to my comment or just annoyance that I interrupted him. Probably the latter as he seemed to enjoy the sound of his voice so much.

"Even if they are compelled, someone could come along and interrupt at any time. It's the vampire equivalent of fast food and not very filling. If I bring her here, I can take my time which means I don't have to catch a second one. Now, get on the floor before I compel you!" wow, he was snappy when he was hungry.

"Fine" I slipped off my seat onto the floor, positioning myself so I was hidden by the dashboard to anyone passing by. They'd only see me if they deliberately searched. Elijah unceremoniously dropped his jacket on top of me. I let out a muffled protest but then decided I'd rather not see whatever he was planning.

"I warn you now Elena. If you interfere in anyway I'll make you replace her. Just because I need you alive doesn't mean I need you happy or healthy" I heard the car door open, then shut. Silence filled the car. It was stifling; I actually found myself longing for Elijah's return just so I wouldn't be alone.

I heard voices approaching, and then the door opened. I dared peek out from under the jacket. I could see Elijah sitting in the back seat of the car facing forward, the girl was straddling him. Her red leather miniskirt was up round her waist and she was rocking back and forth. I almost groaned in disgust as I finally guessed what was happening.

He was really having sex with her in the backseat? God, I hoped not, I hoped I was wrong and she just happened to be moving. I couldn't tell properly because my line of sight was limited by the confining spot I was sitting in.

Whatever he was doing to her she seemed to be enjoying. She kept moaning, getting louder as he began to kiss along her throat. He pushed her blonde hair (yes, she was blonde and very Caroline-like) to the side. His eyes met mine and I saw a glimmer of something in there. He smiled slightly against the girl's throat. His eyes darkened and I saw his fangs protruding. He bit her and she screamed, but it seemed to be laced with pleasure rather then pain. I'd seen, and heard, more then enough. I closed my eyes and tried to block my ears as he finished whatever it was they were doing, and drained the girl. I heard doors slam and then the jacket was pulled off my head.

"You can come out now" I pulled myself out of the narrow gap and stretched before sitting down again on the seat. He started the car engine but we didn't move, waiting for me to put on my seatbelt. I just sat there numbly as the reality of what just happened sank in. I'd just watched him kill (and do other stuff) an innocent girl.

"Elena, remember to breathe" he reminded me, gently. Now he'd fed he seemed to be in a better mood.

"That poor girl. She didn't do anything wrong"

"No, she was merely in the wrong place, at the wrong time, smelling rather too delicious and wearing a provocative outfit" he smiled to himself as he remembered.

"Do you have to do that?" I couldn't help but ask. It wasn't curiosity this time, it was a desire to know whether or not he had any humanity left in him.

"Do what?"

"Toy with them before you kill. Couldn't you have just drunk her blood and left it at that?" I asked.  
"I could but I never do. I did tell you not to look" he reminded me. When I didn't reply, he sighed "she didn't suffer Elena. If I hadn't killed her, most likely she would have wandered down some alleyway and not come out the other side. At least with my way there was no pain" I still didn't look at him "These are the realities of being with vampires Elena. It's a fact you need to get used to it"

I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself, closing my eyes. I needed to sleep so I could pretend everything was normal. I felt something soft trail over me and I opened my eyes a fraction to see Elijah's jacket draped over my body. I glanced over at him but he had started to drive and wasn't looking at me. I smiled to myself and pulled the jacket closer for warmth

**A/N: Awww…Now, important question. Do we want a chapter in Elijah's POV?**


	7. Chapter 7

I woke up, my body stiff and cramped from being curled up too long. The jacket that was tucked around my slipped from my shoulders as I moved.

"Ah, you're awake at last. Any longer and I would have thought you were dead" said an amused voice. I groaned and looked over at Elijah who was as neat and tidy as ever.

"How is it possible for you stay that tidy?" I muttered to myself "and if you dare say it's because you're a vampire then I'm going to stake you" I added the last bit after remembering that he could hear and would almost certainly reply.

"I wasn't going to say that, the reason I am still 'tidy' is because I have not been sleeping for over twelve hours in a car"

"I was asleep for that long? Wow" I looked out the window and saw green forests, mountains.

"Where are we?" I asked, not recognizing any of the surroundings. I noticed the look he gave me and quickly added "And when I say that, I mean are we almost wherever we're going? I know you won't tell me where we are"

"We are not far from our destination. We should reach there long before nightfall"

"Are we going to have to make anymore…stops?" I asked, tentatively. I prayed he'd say no. I couldn't stand to watch another hapless victim murdered. My nervous state seemed a source of amusement for him because he was smiling slightly. I wondered if he ever smiled properly. There was so little I knew about him.

"No Elena. Vampires, unlike humans, only require feeding a few times a week, instead of three times a day like you. However, we may make a stop for your convenience?" there was a question in his tone. I shook my head. I'd rather not stop until we got to our secret destination. Huh, this was a bit ironic. Only a little while ago I'd been wishing Stefan would whisk me away to a secret romantic destination like they do sometimes in the movies. Then what happens? I get kidnapped by Elijah and taken to some secret destination. Who ever said be careful what you wish for was right.

"I'm fine" I said, interrupting my internal monologue so I could answer the patiently waiting Elijah.

"Then we shall be there very shortly" he seemed in a good mood. I wanted to ask him something but I was worried he'd get angry.

"Umm…can I borrow your phone? Or have mine back?" I dared say it. His head shot sharply to look at me.

"Why?"

"Because Jenna will be worried about me if she doesn't hear anything. And Stefan too. Even if Damon does tell him I left town for a bit he'll worry" I said. It was most of the reason. The part I didn't say was that I was dying to hear some normal voices. He considered this information for a minute before pulling his phone from his pocket and handing it to me.

"You can ring your aunt, to reassure her. Stefan can wait" I nodded, grateful to even be allowed to talk to Jenna. I dialled the house number. She picked up quickly, probably hoping it would be Alaric.

"Gilbert residence" said Jenna's voice.

"Jenna? Hi it's Elena"

"Elena, how are you?"

"I'm good"

"So your break is helping?"

"Helping…?"

"For you to get over Stefan? I was a bit unsure on the idea of you leaving for a while at first but if it's helping…"

"Yeah, it is. I'm…feeling much better" I lied.

"Any idea when you'll be back?" I looked over at Elijah, waiting for an answer. He shrugged.

"Not sure yet. Might be a while"

"Okay honey. Make sure you call me regularly. You know I worry, and so does Jeremy"

"I'll ring in a few days" I promised.

"Oh, you might want to call Bonnie. She was looking for you earlier"

"Thanks Aunt Jenna. I will" I flipped the phone shut and handed it to Elijah "There, I made my call and I didn't do anything untoward"

"Good, you're learning"

"You compelled her didn't you?"

"Yes"

"I wish you wouldn't do that to people. Why did you tell her I'd broken up with Stefan, anyway?"

"I used the best of a bad situation. Stefan is trapped and shan't be contradicting me anytime soon. Besides, you aren't going to be seeing him for a while which is practically breaking up" I glared at the dashboard, then picked up the book I had discarded yesterday and was about to start reading when Elijah spoke again.

"I wouldn't bother. We're almost there, look" I peered out of the window and saw that the trees gave way to a stone wall, with a giant metal gate.

"You keep dinosaurs in there?" I said, sarcastically. He pulled up to the gate and they automatically swung open. The car started a slow ascent up an incredibly steep path.

The ground levelled out after a while. I looked out to see we were in a paved courtyard. there was a large white bungalow, with one wall made entirely from glass. Elijah parked the car in the garage and got out. He came round and opened my door for me. I got out and he picked his jacket up off the floor where I'd dropped it. I ignored the look of annoyance he shot me for sullying it, as he dusted it down.

"Where are we?" I asked, amazed as he led me into the house. The main room was incredibly light, due to the large windows. It was a living room with an adjoined kitchen, separated by a breakfast bar. The walls were painted white with only a few paintings on them, the floor was wood. The furniture and style was minimalist and very modern. There was a few sofa's and a glass coffee table in the centre of the room, atop a white rug and a bookshelf against one wall. Through a set of glass double doors I could see a walled back garden.

"This is my house, Elena. One of them anyway" he said,

"Your house? Wow…it's not what I was expecting" I had been expecting something more like the Salvatore boarding house, old fashioned, full of relics, books and dust.

"It is a recent addition to my list of properties. I acquired it shortly before I met you, I did not realise it would be useful so quickly" he chuckled to himself "Now, you are allowed to roam relatively free while you're here, unless of course you misbehave in which case I shall lock you up. Those two doors over there, you can't go through. The contents of those rooms are private and you may only enter if I allow you to. You are allowed to go into the back garden, but not the front. As you've noticed there is a rather steep hill, and I would hate to see you fall" he told me "any questions?"

"Yeah, which room is a bathroom?" I asked. He led me to a large bathroom that was furnished white and gold.

"Thank you" I said.

"Hmm, well I shall be in my study. Please, make yourself at home" he disappeared through one of the forbidden doors. Well, I decided to go outside and write in my diary, which I'd brought in with me (because I'd refused to put it in the bag in case something happened to it). After splashing cold water on my face I was ready to go outside.

I opened the double doors and slipped out. I discovered that the garden was split into two layers. The first was another courtyard style, with a large swimming pool in the centre. A set of steps led down to the second part of the garden which was taken up by a manicured lawn, bordered with flowers. I went down to the grass and opened my diary.

**_Dear Diary,_**

**_I am here, imprisoned in the middle of nowhere with a vampire who plans on killing me. I am not sure where I stand with him. Sometimes he looks at me like I'm a person, other times like I'm just an object._**

**_I'm worried about Stefan, trapped in the tomb with Katherine. I'm worried about Jeremy, Bonnie, Caroline…dare I say I'm even worried about Damon? Katherine told me that Klaus destroyed everyone she cared about. Will he do the same for mine, while I am held here? I may never return to Mystic Falls or I may return soon. Elijah refuses to discuss his plans, saying it is not my business. What is more my business then my life? Still, I know I can't change his mind so I won't try. My eyes are constantly open for opportunities to escape. Of course, if I do escape from this luxurious prison I don't know what I'll do because I don't know where I am. Which now I see was his idea._**

**_I hope I see my family again, I hope I get free._**

**_Elena._**

I closed it, clasped it to my chest as I lay down on the grass. The sun was warm on my skin and I soaked it up. Only in sunlight did I feel safe nowadays, and even then not completely.

I lay there until the sky darkened once again. The grass had lost it's warmth and I was cold.

"Are you planning on lying there all night?" said Elijah. I jumped up, not realising that he'd been watching me. As I tried to calm my frantically beating heart, he approached and picked up my diary which I'd dropped. He held it out to me and I snatched it away.

"What do you want?"

"I came to ask if you were planning on coming in, since freezing out here wasn't part of my original plan. So, are you coming in?"

"Is this one of those questions where I only really have one choice?" I asked.

"Most definitely" he said, gesturing back to the house. I sighed and went in. The living room was lit by candle light, and a fire burned in a fireplace I hadn't noticed originally. Elijah nodded towards the breakfast bar where a single plate and glass lay.

"Why don't you eat? Damon told me vampires could eat human food"

"We can, I just don't require it and find it pointless to pretend as something I'm not" I pointed at the glass on the coffee table.

"Yet you drink?"

"Yes, indeed I do. However, no one gains nutrition from alcohol Elena so by consuming it, nothing changes" I was slightly confused by his obscure logic so I went to the kitchen and sat down to eat my dinner which appeared to be some sort of pasta dish. I wondered if he'd cooked it. Well, it was nice whoever made it.

When I finished I hovered uncertainly between the kitchen and living room. Elijah had his back to me and was contemplating his glass of whatever it was.

"Is there something particularly attractive or unusual about the back of my head?" he asked, not turning.

"No. it's pretty much the same as the rest of you" he turned, a wicked smile on his face.

"And how is that?" I just shrugged.

"I'm tired" I said, changing the subject.

"How can you possibly be tired after the copious amount of sleep you had?" he asked, shaking his head "I feel that this is just an excuse to get away from me"

"You're feeling is right" I said, bluntly. There was no point pretending otherwise "No offence but I spent enough time in direct proximity to you during the journey"

"Well I hate to disappoint you Elena but I only have one bedroom" his smile was wider now.

"You don't need to sleep" I pointed out.

"Yes I do, just not as much as you do" I groaned.

"You have got to be kidding me"

"No, I am not"

"Fine" I said, sitting on one of the leather sofa's. I intended to wait him out and see which one of us gave up first. Of course he knew exactly what I was up to.

"It won't work Elena. I have far more patience then you do" I ignored him and just stared at my hands until I started yawning.

"Elena, just give up and go to bed" he ordered, pointing at one of the rooms. I gritted my teeth to fight back my venomous comment and went in.

Wow, this was nice. The room was as tastefully decorated as the rest of the house with a large double bed, the covers white with gold trim. There was an ensuite bathroom so I brushed my teeth.

When I came out of the bathroom Elijah was sitting on the end of the bed. I jumped.

"You are going to give me a heart attack if you keep doing that" I warned him. He shrugged to show he didn't care.

"I don't suppose there are any pyjama's around here?" I asked, looking around.

"no"

"of course not, because that would be too helpful" looked like I was sleeping in my underwear again. Which I was not very happy about, considering apparently I was sharing. Elijah disappeared into the bathroom so I quickly undressed and hopped into bed. It was a relief to be on a proper bed instead of a cramped car.

"I take it my furniture lives up to expectations?" he said, icily as he came back in. Shirtless. I closed my eyes briefly to stop myself gawping at him. He was…pretty toned and muscular. Those tailored suits certainly did their job of hiding it.

"It's okay" I shrugged, when I'd returned to my senses.

"Huh" he slid into the bed next to me and I made sure that there was lots of space between us.

"Goodnight Elena" he said, politely.  
"Goodnight" I said, curtly as I rolled onto my side and closed my eyes.

**A/N: next chapter is Elijah's but you'll have to wait for a while because I'm going away from my computer for a bit, so if it's not up by the time I leave, the earliest it will be up is late Sunday. **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: ELIJAH'S POV! I know I said this wouldn't be up until Sunday but since I hadn't started the chapter before I left, it didn't matter which computer I used. And you're hardly going to complain about an early update.**

I lay awake, unable to sleep. Elena lay next to me, the carefully constructed space between us had all but vanished the instant she fell to oblivion.

_Elena_. I laughed silently to myself. How had I come to think of her as that? Since I'd met her my brain had thought of her purely as 'the doppelganger'. An object, a key to be used for my own purposes but never as a person. What had changed? Was it because of the time I'd been forced to endure with her, or was it simply because I didn't want to think of her that way anymore?

I sat up and looked over at her. Not for the first time I wondered the appeal she had for the Salvatore brothers. She was attractive; I readily admitted that, with her smooth olive skin, waterfall of dark hair and deep soulful eyes yet she was so fragile. Not just physically but emotionally, and at the same time she wasn't. She was so strong in her own way. She challenged me with every comment, almost deliberately to test my reactions. Me! Who had brought cities to ruins and slaughtered vampires across nations. She knew how deadly I could be but she acted like she didn't care. Either she was hoping I'd snap and kill her out of frustration, or her time with the Salvatore's had left some ridiculous preconceptions about my people.

She rolled to one side, her hair spilling over the pillow and revealing her slender neck. I looked away from the covered bite mark, feeling almost guilty about my earlier actions. I reached out to touch her, but restrained myself at the last moment.

_No!_ I forced myself to think. _You had to do it! She needs to know that vampires are monsters._

That was the reason, since she'd come into my possession I'd been less lenient with her humanity then perhaps I should have been. I had taunted her, tormented her. I forced my presence on her when she was clearly uncomfortable. When I hunted I had deliberately made her watch. Watch as I toyed with a young girl's life...one who was her own age and resembling a friend. I had hurt her, I had compelled her in my attempts to show the truth of who I was, yet she defiantly insisted that Stefan Salvatore loved her all because he had not done these things.

_Love,_ I scoffed at the idea. Well, I knew he certainly felt for her but that was purely down to her appearance. That was what had led him to her, the fact that in every way save one she was identical to Katerina. The only difference between the two was their instincts of self preservation and family ties. Katerina would have killed her own mother if she thought it would save her. Elena...Elena was difficult. She ignored basic survival strategies in order to do what she thought was right, to protect those she cared about; she incessantly undermined my authority right in front of me. If she had been anyone else I would have killed her for disobedience. Of course, I couldn't because I needed her. That fact irritated more than her behaviour. Never before had I needed anybody. If I wanted anything I could get it, I had never had to depend on anybody...especially a **_human_**.

Elena muttered something into her pillow, so faint even I could not make it out. She rolled over again, her body colliding with mine. I stiffened at the contact. I was no stranger to human women, when you have compulsion anybody you desire becomes yours with no consequence. But Elena, her presence was intoxicating. Perhaps it was her strange scent that came from having Petrova blood in her veins; I remembered that Katerina had smelt the same before she became a vampire. I moved slightly so my face was near Elena's neck. I inhaled. Toasted almonds, cherry blossom, and red wine. Those, added with something else, something entirely unusual, made the scent of her blood. A heady, spicy fragrance. I wanted to drown in it...

NO! I scolded myself as I jerked away from her. I couldn't allow myself to keep doing this. I slid out of the bed and went to the window, which was open. The breeze refreshed me and I washed all lingering remnants of her scent from me. I shouldn't have done this. It was dangerous for her to be this close, and it meant that when the time did come to draw out Klaus I'd have to return to Mystic Falls. Of course, I should have left her there and I probably would have had it not been for her final request. She had dared ask for more when I was already being exceptionally generous.

Why had I refused her? No matter what I said about disliking the Salvatore's, though true it wasn't my reason. So what was?

_You're jealous,_ my mind whispered. _You're jealous that he had her and you never will._

I growled quietly to myself and turned back to the bed. Elena was sprawled out; the cover had slipped down to her waist revealing her upper half. I had to admit...she was very beautiful. I smiled to myself as I remembered when she had come out of the motel bathroom dressed in those wet, revealing scraps of lace that I'd provided her with. Of course, I hadn't dressed her myself though I continued to let her think that. In truth I'd compelled one of the maid's to do it for me. Not because I didn't want to (perhaps I had wanted to a little too much) but simply because I was worried she'd end up getting hurt. Her safety was my priority at the moment and after all the effort I'd exerted into keeping her safe, I certainly wasn't going to be the one to hurt her. Well, anymore then I already had that is.

"No..." Elena muttered. I cocked my head, her unexpected communication sparking my interest. I stood, watching her. She was still asleep I could tell by her breathing, but her head was tossing from side to side as she muttered her insistent refusal. A nightmare perhaps, either that or she was having some sort of fit.

"No...Please...don't!" Her body started thrashing wildly. Her heart sped up; her breath came in short gasps. I sat next to her, ready to restrain her in the event of her hurting herself. She rolled slightly towards me, due to the dip in the bed caused by my weight.

"No! NO! Please! Leave me alone!" she sobbed. "Stefan! Stefan!" I growled quietly at her actions. Was she dreaming about the Salvatore boy attacking her or saving her?

"No! Stefan! Please don't! Stop, please!" I assumed from that dialogue her was her antagonist and I growled again "Please! Don't hurt him!"

Him? That was unexpected. Who needed protecting? Who was her 'darling' Stefan fighting that she didn't like?

"NO! HELP! HELP!" she started to scream. I pulled her up and wrapped my arms around her, partly restraining her and partly comforting her.

"Stefan! Let go!" she screamed, still partly trapped in her dream.

"Elena! It's okay, you're safe." I held her with one arm, stroking her hair with the other as I whispered sweet nothings in her ear. I wasn't sure where these actions were coming from but at this precise moment I didn't care. Eventually her movements stilled, her breathing became regular once more.

"Elijah?" she whispered. At first I assumed this was part of her dream but then I looked down and saw that she was awake, her brown eyes boring into mine.

"Yes?" I managed to keep my voice steady as I spoke the single word, but it was a struggle.

"What's going on?" She cast around her, looking for some clue as to how she got into her current position. I'm sure that waking up in the arms of a vampire, who had kidnapped you, had to be scarier than any nightmare.

"You were having a nightmare" I told her. She eyed my suspiciously, even half asleep she was distrustful. Eventually she nodded. I expected her to roll away but she didn't. She simply sat there for a minute in silence.

"Elijah?" she asked after a little while.

"Yes?"

"Would you...I mean...do you mind if...?"

"Elena, whatever you want to say, just say it" I sighed, impatiently. I expected her to ask if I would mind moving.

"Do you mind if you hold me for a bit longer? I don't want my dreams to start again" I was startled by her request but I shrugged as if I didn't care what she did. Of course, I was surprised she wanted to...and maybe a bit pleased.

"However, you really should lie down" I told her "I have a feeling you will be insufferable without the adequate amount of rest" She nodded and lay down on the bed, pulling me with her. She curled up against my, her head resting on my chest. My arms held her tightly, as if she would suddenly change her mind and force me to let her go. If she did, I wasn't sure I'd be able to.

"Thank you" she whispered.

"For what?" I hadn't done anything particularly warranting gratitude.

"For caring"

**A/N: so, do we want the next chapter in Elijah's POV too? Or should i revert back to Elena.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Elijah's POV**

I had been awake for over an hour, lying there with my eyes closed, my head buried in Elena's neck, when she started to move. I could tell she'd woken up and was now trying to escape my grip. I smiled to myself and contemplated holding onto her but in the end I decided to let her out. I felt her slip free and move so she was sitting up. I could feel her eyes scrutinizing me.

"Elena, stop staring" I told her. I heard her breathing and heart rate speed momentarily, indicating I'd startled her. I opened my eyes, to see her blushing furiously. I smiled, amused by her reaction.

Good morning" she said, with forced politeness.

"Good morning, Elena. How did you sleep?" I asked. I assumed she hadn't had any more nightmares after she fell asleep. Certainly she hadn't had any while I'd been awake, and I hadn't been woken by her again.

"Um...well, after...you know" I nodded, sensing her discomfort.

"What are your plans for the day?" I enquired. She looked startled, and a bit confused, that I was leaving it up to her.

"I thought I might go for a swim, if that's okay. Explore the garden a bit more. If that's okay?" I smiled. I hadn't stayed long in this particular house before I'd met her but the garden had been one of my favourite features of the house. I knew that one of her main reasons to stay outside was the sun. The sun made her feel safe, as it would for anyone who knew about the vampire world.

"Certainly it's okay. Why don't you shower and dress while I make breakfast?" She was shaking her head before I'd completed the sentence.

"I don't want to put you to any trouble" she protested.

"No, it's fine. I want to" I left the room and went into the kitchen. I could hear the shower being switched on and I reverted my attention back to the situation at hand. Listening to Elena while she was in the shower would not put me in her good graces. I concentrated on her breakfast and, after some thought, I decided to join her. While I didn't normally eat, I decided if I was cooking that I might as well.

I'd just set out the two plates when Elena came in. In my shirt. Oh. Wow.

"Err...you left my clothes in the car. Again. This was all I could find" she blushed, clearly thinking that I disapproved. I didn't disapprove. In fact, the sight of Elena Gilbert in my shirt was highly...attractive. I blinked once to dispel the lewd images dancing in front of my eyes.

"I'll get it after breakfast" I said, pointing at the plates. She took the same seat she'd had yesterday and looked surprised when I sat next to her.

"I thought you didn't pretend to be something you're not?" she asked, a slight tinge of sarcasm in her voice.

"I made too much food, I didn't want to waste it" I lied. She rolled her eyes and started to eat the omelette I'd made. Clearly, she was still having slight trust issues and I couldn't say I blamed her. One night didn't change anything

"So, what was your nightmare about?" I asked. She choked on a mouthful of food. She obviously hadn't expected me to talk about that.

"Err...I can't remember" I raised an eyebrow at her as a sign that I knew she was lying.

"Elena..." I warned her. I would not tolerate lying. I was in charge

"Why do I have to talk about it?"

"Because I'm curious"

"And it's my job to settle your curiosity now is it?"

"It is when you are in my house" I reminded her. I didn't mention the fact that I could just compel her into telling me. I had a feeling that would just make her more resistant.

"Fine. It was about Stefan"

"So I gathered from the 'Stefan! Stefan! No, please Stefan!' that you kept babbling. That was the tiniest indication as to what you were dreaming about" I said.

"If you know, why did you ask?" she asked, putting down her fork and folding her arms.

"Because it sounded like Stefan was not welcome in your dream. I'm curious as to why"

"It's none of your business" she snapped.

"No, that's true but I want to know if last night is going to be a recurring thing?" Part of me prayed that it would be so I could use it as an excuse to be close to her. But then the other part was disgusted that I thought that.

"I have nightmares occasionally. Usually they're about my parents dying. I remember how it felt, trapped in the car" I stiffened. I didn't know her parents had died or that she'd been with them when they did. I just assumed...well, I hadn't assumed anything because I hadn't cared. "Stefan saved me that night; he rescued me from the car"

"So that's what you were dreaming about?"

"No. It started that way...but then Stefan changed. He got hooked on human blood a little while back. In my dream he was acting the way he did then. He was hurting me...and then he killed Jeremy, my brother. He disappeared...I was crying. Then I felt him put his arms around me, holding me so I couldn't escape" Oh, that must have been when I'd intervened "Then..." she trailed off.

"Then what?"

"Nothing. I just woke up" I had the sense she was lying to me again but I decided not to antagonize her any further. I knew that most likely I had been the cause of her fear, my actions over the previous days. "Now, if you wouldn't mind pointing me in the direction of a swimsuit?"

"You're supposed to wait an hour before swimming" I pointed out, remembering a scant piece of human biology. She hadn't actually eaten that much (I'd eaten more then she had which was a surprise) so my comment seemed a bit pedantic.

"Fine, I'll hang around on the lawn and try to get a tan. Either way, I can't wear your shirt for ever can I? You got upset when your jacket ended up on the floor!" she left the table and went into the bedroom. I sighed and got up. I was now exceptionally curious about the end of Elena's dream. I went and fetched her bag from the car, but hesitated outside the bedroom door. Elena was crying. I could hear her short, desperate sobs. My hand reached for the handle, then paused.

No, not this time. It wasn't my job to comfort the adolescent. I turned and left, a small smile playing on my lips.

**AN: sorry, I thought Elijah was being too nice. Next chapter is the same as this, but from Elena's POV.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Elena's POV**

When I woke up, Elijah was at my side still. His body was curled around mine; one arm casually thrown over my waist, his face was resting in the crook of my neck (which was a bit freaky). I wriggled myself free and propped myself up on my elbows so I could look at him. His eyes were closed but I knew from past experience this didn't mean he was necessarily asleep. There was a small smile on his face, as if he was dreaming something pleasant. The cover must have slipped during the night because it was now at waist height, revealing his muscled chest. The arm which had been around me was sprawled across the bed, still clinging to an imaginary Elena. There was a single ring on his hand, a gold ring with a beautiful blue stone in the centre. Was that his daylight ring?

I suddenly realised that if he was asleep, now would be the perfect opportunity to escape. However, I decided that after last night I would wait a bit. Just to show some trust.

"Elena, stop staring" he muttered. I jumped and blushed furiously that I'd been caught (I was also glad I hadn't attempted an escape, since he was obviously awake). He opened his eyes and smiled.

"Good morning" I said, politely.

"Good morning, Elena. How did you sleep?"

"Um...well, after...you know" he nodded and sat up.

"What are your plans for the day?" He asked. He was actually letting me pick? Wow, he was in a really good mood. Good...and rather odd.

"I thought I might go for a swim, if that's okay. Explore the garden a bit more. If that's okay?" I felt obliged to add the last bit, in case he thought I was being rude. He nodded and smiled.

"Certainly it's okay. Why don't you shower and dress while I make breakfast?" He wanted to make me breakfast now? Okay, something was definitely odd. Either someone had come along and replaced the real Elijah with an identical, better tempered duplicate or he was up to something.

"I don't want to put you to any trouble" I insisted. I didn't mind making my own breakfast. At least that way I'd know what was in it.

"No, it's fine. I want to" He said, leaving the room. I got up and went to the bathroom to shower. As I was undressing (not that my...lingerie counted as clothes in my opinion), I noticed the plaster on my neck. I peeled it off and was pleased to see that the wound had healed and was fading. Well, at least if I ever saw Stefan again he wouldn't be asking who bit me.

I climbed into the shower and relaxed as the hot water poured over me. My mind was buzzing with curiosity, question after question but there were two that repeated most insistently. Why had he comforted me? And why had I let him?

I sighed and switched off the shower. I grabbed a towel and went back into the bedroom, looking for my bag. Apparently, yet again, Elijah had left it in the car. I sighed and went to the wardrobe in search of something to wear until he decided to get it. All I could find were suits and shirts. Well beggars can't be choosey. I pulled out a shirt at random and stuck it on. It was, fortunately, a bit too big so it came down to mid-thigh. I had to put on the same underwear as yesterday (which was gross, since I'd been wearing that for two days in a car). I went out to the kitchen, where Elijah was setting out two plates of something that resembled an omelette. When he saw me, his eyes widened and he stared.

"Err..." I felt slightly unnerved by his staring "You left my clothes in the car. Again. This was all I could find" I felt my cheeks colouring rapidly as he continued to stare.

"I'll get it after breakfast" he said, pointing at the plates. I took my seat and jumped slightly as he sat next to me. It was my turn to stare as he took a forkful of omelette.

"I thought you didn't pretend to be something you're not?" I said, using his words from yesterday.

"I made too much food, I didn't want to waste it" He was lying, I could tell. My earlier suspicions that he was up to something were returning to me. I rolled her eyes and started to eat the omelette. I hated to admit it but it was actually pretty good.

"So, what was your nightmare about?" he asked, suddenly. I choked. I'd really hoped this topic wouldn't come up.

"Err...I can't remember" He raised an eyebrow and gave me a look which blatantly told me I couldn't get away with lying.

"Elena..." he warned.

"Why do I have to talk about it?" I demanded.

"Because I'm curious"

"And it's my job to settle your curiosity now is it?"

"It is when you are in my house" he said. I almost snapped back that it wasn't my choice to be in his house.

"Fine. It was about Stefan"

"So I gathered from the 'Stefan! Stefan! No, please Stefan!' that you kept babbling. That was the tiniest indication as to what you were dreaming about" he said, dryly.

"If you know, why did you ask?"

"Because it sounded like Stefan was not welcome in your dream. I'm curious as to why"

"It's none of your business" I snapped.

"No, that's true but I want to know if last night is going to be a recurring thing?"

"I have nightmares occasionally. Usually they're about my parents dying. I remember how it felt, trapped in the car Stefan saved me that night; he rescued me from the car" I told him. It was the truth, I did have nightmares. For a while I'd been on sleeping tablets, until I'd refused to take them. The dreams had lessened since I'd met Stefan

"So that's what you were dreaming about?" he probed.

"No. It started that way...but then Stefan changed. He got hooked on human blood a little while back. In my dream he was acting the way he did then. He was hurting me...and then he killed Jeremy, my brother. He disappeared...I was crying. Then I felt him put his arms around me, holding me so I couldn't escape. Then..." I cut off remembering what had happened. Stefan had changed into...Elijah. He'd held me and then he'd kissed me.

"Then what?"

"Nothing. I just woke up" I lied. No way was I going to tell him the last part of my dream "Now, if you wouldn't mind pointing me in the direction of a swimsuit?"

"You're supposed to wait an hour before swimming"

"Fine, I'll hang around on the lawn and try to get a tan. Either way, I can't wear your shirt for ever can I? You got upset when your jacket ended up on the floor!" I laughed slightly and left the table, leaving my barely touched plate behind. Elijah's bi-polar attitude was beginning to tire me out. He could go from pleasant, to curious, to angry in a matter of seconds. I wondered where he'd end up next.

I lay on the bed and closed my eyes. I was surprised when tears began to flow but I didn't try to stop them. I just lay there, crying. I didn't want to be stuck here; I didn't want to feel this way.

I had to get out.

**A/N: DUN DUN DUH!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: back to Elena's POV. it's just easier to write in and I don't want to reveal everything that's in Elijah's head. Now, I have an important question. Do we want a chapter back in Mystic Falls, showing what's happening with Damon/Stefan/Katherine/Caroline/Bonnie etc?**

When I'd finished crying I headed back to the living room. There was no sign of Elijah, but my bag was hanging on the door handle which showed that the immortal had been there. He'd obviously heard me crying. I grimaced as I picked up the bag. I hated showing weakness, especially with such a dangerous enemy around.

I pulled a top and jeans out of my bag, the idea of swimming was suddenly unappealing. I decided I'd find a nice, quiet spot in the garden and stay there for the rest of the day.

And so I did. I wandered deep into the garden and found a small concealed alcove, in the furthest corner which was shrouded by ivy. Of course, any vampire deliberately looking for me would find me but other then that I was hidden.

If I wanted to get out, the first thing I needed was a plan. One had been formulating in my mind since I'd first seen that ring on his finger. If I could get it away from him, I might have a chance…unless of course it wasn't a daylight ring in which case I'd end up totally screwed.

I chose to ignore the negatives and focus on how to get the ring off him. He was too smart for me to simply trick him, I would have to try very hard to look for an opportunity.

I didn't see any sign of Elijah all day. That evening I ate by myself, then I showered again and went to bed. I was tired, yet at the same time I didn't want to sleep. I lay on my side, staring at the little alarm clock that was on the nightstand, watching the numbers change. It was nearly midnight when Elijah came in. I kept my eyes closed, my breathing regular as he wandered around, doing whatever he was doing. After a few minutes he slid into the bed next to me. I tried not to flinch my body away as he came into contact. I thought I heard him sigh as he rolled onto his side so his back was to mine. I lay in the darkness, waiting for him to fall asleep. I knew that he could stay awake all night if he chose to. I seriously hoped he wouldn't. I couldn't even attempt an escape until he fell asleep.

Please, go to sleep, I prayed. God, sometimes I wished I was a witch. I'm sure Bonnie knew a sleeping spell.

My own eyelids began to grow heavy. I forced them open. I couldn't sleep, this was too important…I couldn't sleep…

_I was running through a darkened wood. That alone was unusual. My dreams usually centred around cars and rivers. And drowning._

_I was wearing a floor length dress made out of soft white fabric, that clung to my body tightly and flared out at the bottom. It was torn in places and there was a large bloodstain on the front. My feet were bare, scratched by fallen branches and thorny twigs that snagged my skin._

_I felt the sensation of being watched and I spun around, searching for the source. There was no one there, that I could see anyway._

_I carried on moving, slower this time._

_CRACK!__  
__A twig cracked behind me. My eyes darted from tree to tree._

"_Who's there?" I whispered. A quiet laugh echoed around the forest. "Who's there?" I repeated, louder this time. Another twig cracked._

"_Where are you?"_

"_Over here" called a mocking voice. It was unfamiliar to me, cold and hard. I looked in the direction it had come from but there was no one. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart, as I waited for some movement. A sign. Anything._

_CRACK!__  
__I couldn't take anymore. I ran, headlong, through the trees. Branches whipped at my face, grabbed at my feet trying to trip me. One sliced across my cheek, cutting deep and drawing blood. I ignored it and kept running._

_I tripped, fell into the carpet of rotten leaves. I wrinkled my nose. There was another scent here, not just leaves and earth. Something strong and horrible. I dared raise my head and screamed. I was face to face with a dead wolf, it's eyes glassy and unfocused, fangs bared in a death snarl as it tried to fend of it's attacker. It's fur was matted with blood and flies hovered around the carcass. I staggered to my feet, gagging and retching at the stench. The body was mangled, great strips of flesh and fur torn away to reveal it innards. I backed myself against a tree, my eyes still focused on the poor animal._

_A cold, pale arm wrapped round my waist and I gasped in shock._

"_What's wrong my dear?" asked the unfamiliar voice._

"_What happened here?" I whispered. The voice laughed._

"_We happened" a hand went to my chin, pushing my head up and tearing my eyes from the creature. They widened when they saw what else was in the clearing. Three stakes were placed in a triangle formation. Tied to one was Tyler, to the second was Bonnie and the third was Caroline. All dead._

"_Look at them. See what we've created" My eyes landed on Tyler. His shirt was torn open, silver chains criss-crossed his skin with small bundles of herbs, I guessed was wolfs bane, attached. Blood was dripping down his stomach, staining his trousers before it landed on the ground. There was blood trickling from his eyes too like scarlet tears, which were disfigured beyond recognition._

_The mysterious person jerked my head to look at Bonnie. She was wearing a dark dress, a gown like she'd worn to the masked ball. Her usually dark skin was even darker…burnt. Oh god. Her body was contorted into a position of terror that hadn't been removed by death. I could smell the charred flesh from here. Around her throat was a rope, hanging from which was the moonstone, or part of it. It had been shattered, and each tiny shard had been purposefully placed in her neck, like a horrific parody of a necklace._

_Caroline was last. Her dress was deep green and elegant, but torn to shreds. She looked like she'd been mauled by an animal. She was also bleeding from the eyes, where vervain had been placed I assumed. There were stakes in her wrists, ankles, chest and neck._

"_What…how did this happen?" I gasped._

"_The sacrifice had to take place. And so it will" the hands released me. I looked around but couldn't see anyone behind me. When I turned back I nearly screamed in shock. Damon and Stefan were standing either side of Bonnie's post both dressed in suits._

"_Stefan! Damon!" I cried, happy to see they were safe at least._

"_Elena. Come! Quickly!" said Stefan, beckoning me. I looked to Damon who nodded.__  
__"Come here Elena. Come on" he called. I took a hesitant step towards them, not wanting to approach the mangled corpses that were all that remained of my friends._

"_Elena!" Stefan called impatiently "Quickly" I moved towards them. The reached out and took a hand each, pulling me in. they led me around the post. I could see now that in the centre of the triangle was a kind of stone slab. An altar I realised, horrified. And they were pushing me towards it. I struggled, trying to escape but they held me tight.__  
__"Don't worry Elena. It'll be fine" Stefan whispered, pushing me onto the altar. He laid me out, tied me down, then stepped away._

"_Will she do?" he asked._

"_Well she'll have to. Honestly brother, I don't really know what you saw in her" Damon laughed. I felt a tear on my bloodstained cheek.__  
__"Me neither. Really, she was just a replacement for Katherine. And she didn't even manage that"_

"_Of course she didn't" purred a seductive voice. I strained my neck to see Katherine, dressed in devil red. She approached the brothers and kissed both.__  
__"Aww…poor Elena trussed up tight. Like a pig for the slaughter" she laughed and the brothers joined in. They began to fade into the darkness._

"_No! Help! Somebody help me!" I screamed, thrashing against the leather bonds that held me down._

"_Elena. There's no one here" whispered a sad voice. I looked up to see Elijah, standing at the head of the slab, a knife in hand._

"_Please…please, don't do this" I begged._

"_But he will" said that cold, unfamiliar voice from my feet. I looked up to see a tall man, dressed in a tuxedo. His hair was dark blonde, messy and unruly. His eyes were dark and his smile was menacing. My heart beat faster. There was no doubt who this was._

"_Klaus" I whispered. He inclined his head as a greeting.__  
__"Begin Elijah. Blood of wolf and vampire, strength of witch and moon must be brought together by the sacrifice. The doppelganger"_

"_Kill the doppelganger" chanted disembodied voices, growing louder and louder as they repeated. I pulled desperately at my ropes, my eyes darting around. Stefan, Damon and Katherine had returned. They stood around me. And…Jeremy._

"_Jeremy! Help!" I called. He shook his head sadly._

"_You killed her Elena. You killed her!" he closed his eyes and took a step back so he was next to Damon._

"_Kill the doppelganger" they chanted. I looked up at Elijah and I saw something flicker in his eyes. Regret?_

_He bent down and kissed me hard._

"_I'm sorry Elena" he whispered, before plunging the knife into my heart. I screamed._

**A/N: I got a bit nasty there. Sorry, blame it on too many Oreo's and lack of self control. I had an urge to write and I accidentally let a bit too much of my nastiness out at once. Well, it could have been worse I suppose.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: This chapter was an accident. It just sort of happened. I guess it makes up for my gruesome dream I gave Elena. This is a very fluffy bit.**

I woke up panting for breath, sweat pouring from me. Next to me, Elijah stirred.

"You okay Elena?" he muttered, sleepily.

"yeah…just a…really bad nightmare" he sat up, groaning slightly. I'd never seen a vampire who was tired before. It was almost funny.  
"Want to talk about it?" I nearly comment on how his eloquence and careful phrasing disappeared when he was tired.

"Umm…" I thought for a minute "I don't want to disturb you" He laughed.

"I'm awake already. So what happened? I can tell by your heartbeat it must have been something really bad" he reached out and pulled me over to him, my back pressed against his naked chest.

"You killed me" I said, simply. I felt him stiffen.

"What?"

"I was in some woods…this guy was following me. I wandered into the clearing and my friends…Bonnie, Caroline, Tyler they were dead. Tortured. It was horrible. And Stefan was there with Damon and Katherine. They…tied me up. Then the man who'd been following me appeared again, and so did you. They were chanting…" I broke off, tears flowing fast down my cheek.

"it's okay Elena. You're safe" he whispered in my ear. I relaxed against him, unconsciously.

"When…if…we go back to mystic falls, so you can kill Klaus, you're going to kill me too" I said. It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"You should get back to sleep" he said, not answering my question. For once I didn't pursue his evasiveness.

"I don't want to. I'll only end up dreaming again" my voice was almost a moan.

"Then what do you want to do?" he asked, patiently. I considered for a moment or two before answering.

"Swim. I want to swim" it was hot, the water would cool me down.

"You want to swim? In the middle of the night" I turned as much as I could.

"Yes. You can stay here and go back to sleep. I'm going swimming"

"Ha! I am not letting you swim alone at night. You might drown and then where I would be?"

"You wouldn't have to put up with me anymore, and it would certainly save you the job of killing me yourself" I pointed out. He didn't respond, he seemed deep in thought. I pulled away from him, and he let me go this time. I slipped out of bed and padded out into the garden. I glanced round only long enough to see that Elijah had followed me. For once I didn't care about anything. I just wanted to relax. I pulled off my shorts and tank top I'd worn to bed. I jumped in, submerging myself in cool water. I surfaced, slicking my wet hair back so I could see. Elijah was sitting at the pool edge, his bare feet just resting atop the water.

"You not coming in?"

"No" he said, with forced coldness "I'm only out here at all to ensure you don't drown." I folded my arms and rested my head on them.

"I really don't get you" I told him "You are really confusing"

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, one minute you're all cold, the next you're being friendly, and then you act like you're going to kill me. Which, I know you are. I didn't mean that literally" I added hurriedly, in case he took offence.

"I assumed that" he said, slightly sarcastically.

"It's like walking on eggshells around you. I just want to know where I stand" I told him.

"Where you stand?"

"Yeah. I mean to you…am I an acquaintance, a convenience…a friend?" I whispered the last part, barely holding my nerve.

"Elena…" he began, his voice polite and reserved. I sighed and pushed away from the edge, floating over to the other side of the pool. And accidentally kicking water in his direction. His expression changed to a mischievous smile.

"Please tell me I am mistake in thinking that you just sprayed me with water" I giggled and kicked out again. His smiled grew and he stood, diving into the water causing barely a ripple. I tried to track him through the water, as he approached my legs. I stood, stock still as if a shark was circling me. I felt his hands grab my ankles and I screamed, kicking out. He surfaced, his normally neat hair a damp mess, stuck to his scalp.

"Do you want to try that again?" he dared, his hands resting on my waist. I would have been scared by this, except for the teasing tone in his voice and the glint in his eye. I hesitated, then desperately twisted, diving for the bottom of the pool. He chased after me, swimming close to my body. I was forced to surface for air, found myself trapped between the wall and Elijah. He grabbed me. I fought against him, half heartedly but he was merciless.

"Okay! You win!" I surrendered.

"Good" he released me and took a few steps back. I took a deep breath and dived to the bottom again. I lay on my back, staring up at the sky, distorted by the water. I wished I could stay this way, suspended without time or feeling.

But of course, I couldn't.

When I bobbed back up, Elijah was sitting on the side again. The only sign that he'd even been in the water was his wet body. **(A/N: MMM)**

"Are you planning on coming out anytime soon?" he asked.

"No. I like it here" I said, floating on my back.

"I'm afraid you might have to"

"Why?" I asked, closing my eyes "It's peaceful out here. I know if I go back to bed I'll only have nightmares again"

"I can take care of that for you" he offered. I looked at him, eyebrow raised.

"How?"

"As a vampire, especially an original vampire, I have a lot of power at my disposal. Such as the ability to get inside your mind and influence your dreams"

"You want to go inside my mind?" I asked, pulling myself out of the pool so I was sitting next to him.

"If it helps" I stood up.

"That's what I don't get" he rose to his feet, his expression one of confusion "One second you're all cold, then you comfort me when I've had a bad dream. You try to help yet you constantly push me away…You won't answer any of my questions, not seriously anyway. I mean, I get if you don't particularly want to talk to me because either way you're going to kill me but I just want to know where do I stand with you Elijah? What is going on inside your head?" I demanded. Hs stared at me, then reached forward and kissed me. I was startled but didn't pull away. It felt strange but good. I couldn't help but return it. I felt him run his tongue along my bottom lip and I couldn't help but open my mouth slightly.

He pulled away and stared at me.  
"A friend Elena. I think of you as a friend"

**A/N: What do we think? Bit of a shortish chapter but I really wanted to end it there.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: meanwhile, back in Mystic Falls…**

I paced angrily up and down.

"Something's not right. I can't believe Elena would just disappear. This is wrong, I can feel it" I snarled.

"So you've been saying for the past five days" Stefan drawled. I turned to glare at him. He was leaning against the wall, with Katherine standing slightly behind him. He looked unimpressed by my ranting.

"Could you at least pretend to be a tiny bit concerned?" I snapped "I mean, I know you're not but you could at least act like you care what happens to Elena" he sighed.

"Nothing has happened to Elena, Damon. She's just gone out of town for a bit. Like she said. I don't blame her for wanting to clear her head. Hell, I wish I could leave!"

"You didn't hear the phone message, Stefan. She sounded really scared…"

"Actually Damon, I did hear the phone message. You played it to me. Twice. Loudly" Stefan said.  
"And you can't hear anything wrong with Elena? The fact that one minute she sounds freaked out of her mind, the next she sounds like a zombie? Or that rather large break in between?"

"Bad signal. She said so herself!" Stefan protested.

"Yeah Damon. Calm down. You're being melodramatic" said Katherine, smiling.

"Shut up. If I want advice from the vampire equivalent of a hooker, I'll turn a prostitute and ask her. Okay?" she rolled her eyes at me.

"I'm going. Stefan? Coming?" she disappeared. Stefan shrugged.

"I don't know what you want me to do Damon" he said, turning away.

"Maybe show a bit of brotherly support?" I said.

"Last time we tried that…didn't work so well. How about this…you want to be the hero, here's your chance. If you're so convinced Elena's in danger then go find her. But I bet she'll be back by the end of the week, perfectly fine" he vanished. I glared after him and muttered to myself about stupid brothers and stakes dipped in vervain. I stumbled outside. The little witch was leaning against a tree.

"Let me guess, you're here to persuade Saint Stefan that something is wrong? Well don't waste your breath. I tried, I failed"

"but I'm not you" she said, hands on her hips. I took a step towards her, expecting her to move back.  
"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Stefan would never listen to you, he hates you and try to ruin his life every week, as well as try to steal Elena. He trusts me and owes me a favour"

"Since when would he need a favour to rescue his supposed girlfriend from jeopardy? I thought that was normal days for him?" She narrowed her eyes, I raised a hand in surrender. Not my style but I had no desire to be writhing on the floor again.

"He's otherwise engaged at the moment, come back later. Now tell me, did the kid check out the message?"

"Jeremy" she said, emphasising the name "put it on his computer and listened to the break. He says he can hear voices but his hearing's too weak to make it out properly. I actually came to get you, so you could listen to it. Work out who's speaking…etc?"

"Well I'm guessing that it might be Elena?" I said. She glared again, and walked away "No? okay then" I followed her to where her car was parked.

"Oh no way am I getting in that piece of tin" I protested.  
"There is nothing wrong with my car. Besides, I thought you wanted to save Elena?"

"Yeah, but I didn't know I'd have to sacrifice my coolness to do it"

"Get in Damon"

"Oh god, Elena you better be grateful" I said, climbing in. The witch drove pretty fast and we got to the Gilbert house. Jeremy was waiting by the door.

"You're here at last. Thought you were never going to show up" he said.

"Be quiet kid. I'm in a bad mood today, I wouldn't mind killing something" he held up his hand to show the ring on his finger. I sighed.

"No one is fun anymore" Bonnie propelled me against the wall and held me there with her power.

"My best friend could be dying and you think it's a joke. Either you can act serious or we'll just do it without you"

"Don't get your panties in a twist witch girl. I'm on your side" she let me down and stormed upstairs. I nudged Jeremy.

"She knows the way pretty well" I saw a small grin flash across his face as he followed her upstairs. We went into his room. The computer was turned on.

"Okay" said Jeremy, taking a seat "This is the message that you gave us" he clicked play.

"Hey, It's Elena" there was a long static filled pause "I'm sorry Damon, the reception here is bad. I have gone out of town for a while. I won't be able to call again. Bye"

"Is it me or does that not tell us anything?" I said, sitting on Jeremy's bed.

"Shut up Damon" Bonnie snarled "Play the other bit"

"Okay, this is the pause between the two bits of the message. I couldn't make out the words no matter how high I turned the volume up, it's too low rez. But I figured it wouldn't be a problem for vampire ears"

"You figured right. Now, play the clip so I can get out of here. The teenage hormones are suffocating me" he played the message again.

"Elena…what have I told you about wearing vervain? Elena. Who were you talking to?"

"Damon Salvatore"

"Why would you do that?"

"I was going to ask him to come and get me"

"That's not a very good idea Elena. I could easily kill him if he comes anywhere near me, or you…however, if he doesn't know where you are I don't have to. Did you tell him anything?"

"No. I got his voicemail. I didn't get time to say anything"

"Good. You are going to call him back and say that you have gone out of town for a bit. Tell him that the reception is bad and you won't be able to call again. Then you will give me the phone and _never_ go through my possessions again"

I played it twice more, trying to recognise the voice. It took me a while but eventually I got it.

"Damn!" I said, pounding the desk with my fist.

"What is it Damon?" Bonnie asked, looking slightly worried for the first time since she'd shown up.

"We were right. She's been taken. By a vampire"

"Do you know which one?"

"Elijah" I snarled.

"Can we get her back?" Jeremy said.

"Not unless your witch can do her amazing tracking spell? No, then we can't find her. As much as I would like to track her down and kill Elijah, we can't do anything until we know where she is" I growled, storming out of the room. I really needed to kill something.

**A/N: another short chapter but it was basically just a filler. Next chapter will return to focus on Elijah/Elena. I only stuck this in between the two to be mean.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Elena's POV.**

I woke up early and slid out of bed. Elijah was asleep, or at least he didn't move as I slipped the ring off his finger. I hurried into the bathroom and set the shower on a delayed timer, so it would go off in five minutes. Then I left the room. I didn't take any clothes with me, they would only get in the way. I'd dressed carefully after our swimming pool incident, more determined then ever to escape. If I hadn't had a good reason before, I definitely had one now. Elijah, his feelings…and that kiss. I wasn't sure what he'd meant by it or what he intended to do but I wasn't going to stick around to find out. No, I had to get back to Stefan before things got even more confusing.

I had originally planned to try and steal his car so I'd gain some distance, but then I remembered his vampire hearing. No doubt they sound of the engine would wake him and he'd guess my plan. I wasn't completely sure that the ring I'd stolen was a day light ring so I wanted to get as far away as possible before he woke up.

Of course, that plan would be ruined if the front door was locked. I was relying on vampire arrogance and disregard for security.

Tiptoed through the hall to the front door and tried the handle. It was unlocked! I almost cried out in relief (I didn't because that wouldn't be a very consistent with my trying to escape plan). I opened the door and bolted down the hill, almost slipping several times on the steep gravel path. I decided it would be better to get off the main path so I slipped into the trees which bordered the path. I was glad that I did, because the hill was dangerously steep, and the earth was uneven, broken with roots and sticks that threatened to trip me and send me plummeting down to my death.  
I thought I was being followed at one point and nearly fell in my haste to escape. I had to grab a tree branch and hold on for dear life until I got my footing back.

I eventually made it to the bottom of the hill and I clambered over the high brick wall, scrapping my knee in the process. I ignored the slight sting and carried on, walking down the roadside. I needed to find a phone and call for help, or get a lift back to Mystic Falls. Either way, I didn't like being on the road. I was worried Elijah would appear at any second. Hopefully he would be confined to the house for the day, but even if he was it wouldn't take him long to catch up with me.

I moved at a brisk pace, not sure where I was heading but wanting to put a lot of distance between the pair of us.

Beep!

A car horn beeped behind me and I jumped, spinning around while preparing to run. The truck pulled up next to me and the driver stuck his head out of the window.  
"hey love, you lost?"

"A little" I confessed "I'm trying to get back home"

"Where's home?"

"Mystic falls" he whistled.

"Long way away. But actually, I'm travelling that way myself. I can give you a lift part of the way, and then you could probably find someone else to take you the rest of the journey?" he suggested. I considered for a minute. I mean, I was brought up in a small town where everyone knew everybody else but we were still given the safety lectures about getting into cars with strangers. I ignored all the warnings and climbed into the passenger seat. My parents and teachers would be ashamed.

Well, he didn't seem particularly dangerous but even if he was I didn't care. I'd rather be stuck with a murderous raging psychopath then Elijah. Well…Elijah was a murderous raging psychopath. With fangs.

"I'm Dan. What's your name?"

"Elena. So where are you headed?" I asked.

"Going home to see the family. I've been on the road a while" I looked him up and down. He wasn't old, he was probably in his mid-twenties, with sandy brown hair cut short and spiky.

"Family?" I pried slightly.

"Yeah, my mum and dad" he said, smiling slightly "What about you? What are you doing in the middle of nowhere by yourself?"

"Well…" I wondered what to say "I was out here with some friends, we had an argument and I went off with this guy I liked but he wasn't the way I thought he was"

"Ah. Jerk?"

"Total jerk" I said, nodding.

"Why didn't you call your friends and ask them to get you?"

"Well, for one thing I have no idea where I am, and for another he stole my phone and destroyed it" he raised his eyebrows at me.

"Wow. Are you sure you don't want to call the police on this guy?"

"No. I just want to get home and forget it" I said, relaxing in my seat.

"Huh. Well, for what it's worth, I'm glad I ran into you"

"I'm glad you did too"

****That evening****

I hadn't seen any sign of Elijah all day and I was starting to relax. Dan was friendly and good humoured. His normality was infectious. It was hard to believe that anything was wrong without the constant presence of evil vampires. The day had provided me plenty of opportunities to think about what had happened last night. I didn't know why it had happened but I didn't like it. That was one of the reasons I'd needed to get away. The other being the obvious which was the fact that Elijah had kidnapped me and held me prisoner.

But now night was here and I was nervous again. By now he would most definitely have found out that I was gone. I was just waiting for his wrath to materialise.  
"You okay Elena? You look a little jumpy" Dan said. I smiled and nodded.

"I'm fine. I just…scare easily" I lied. I never used to scare easily. It was only recently when I'd started to fear for my life.

We were driving along an empty stretch of road when suddenly a figure stepped into our headlights. Dan shouted, slamming his foot on the breaks to avoid hitting him.

"God, did we hit him?" he said, worried. He undid his seat belt and started to get out of the car.

"Don't!" I warned.  
"Elena, they could be hurt! I've got a first aid kit in the glove compartment. Can you grab it?" he asked. I pulled it out reluctantly. I hopped out of the car and went round to the bonnet. There was a figure lying stock still and a massive dent in the car. I squinted through the bright lights at the person and froze. Elijah. Was it possible we'd killed him? No, I'd seen the guy been impaled and walk away. A car wouldn't do it. He was faking. I took a step back.

"Oh my god, we actually hit him" said Dan, crouching down beside the figure "Sir? Are you okay?" The man opened his eyes.

"I'm fine" he said. He reached up and grabbed Dan by the neck, pulling him into a twisted parody of an embrace. Dan screamed as he sank his fangs into his throat.

"NO!" I shouted. I dashed forward and tried to pull Dan away from Elijah but he held fast.

"Let him go!" I screamed. Elijah released Dan, who slumped to the floor. I knelt beside him and checked his pulse. He was dead.

"You killed him! YOU KILLED HIM!" I screamed, running at Elijah and pounding my fists against his chest. He put up with if for a few seconds before he grabbed one of my fists, holding it too tightly. I cried out in pain, hearing something snap.

"Now Elena, you've had your escape attempt and your little temper tantrum. It's time to go home now" His words were quiet but nonetheless menacing "And I must say, I am very, very upset with you"

**A/N: HA! Evil Elijah. Well, a lot of you requested evil Elijah so I'm delivering. He will return to being nice at some point in the future when he's calmed down a bit. But first…Evilness…**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Elijah's POV, because I know how much you love it. Taunting and teasing in this chapter.**

I had driven Elena back home, the drive allowing my anger to build. I couldn't believe she'd been so stupid to think she could get away from me! This morning I'd woken up without her there, and assumed that she was simply in the shower. Of course, when she hadn't emerged within an hour and I found no noise of her heart beat I had begun to panic. That was when I found the front door open and my ring missing. Then I knew. Elena had attempted to escape. Of course, I didn't follow her. I had been trapped in my own house, forced to skirt patches of light or be burned to a crisp! The humiliation of it! Of course I should have known better then to trust her. Of course she'd want to run back to her precious Stefan. I sneered at the thought.

So now we were back. Elena was curled up in the corner, cradling her injured wrist. Her eyes were wide and afraid, watching my every moved as I stalked around the room like a panther. I had tied her ankles together and was about to tie her wrists. Unnecessary perhaps but it would get my point across to her. Namely that I was not a vampire to be fucked with.

"Is this really needed?" she whispered as I bound her wrists tightly. I snarled at her.

"Apparently so Elena, since you don't seem to understand that when I tell you not to run I mean it!" I growled. I felt my face change to reveal the vampire inside and she cringed. Good. "Where's the ring?" I demanded. She stared at me blankly. I growled impatiently "My ring! Where is it!"

"Pocket" she said quietly. I slipped my hand into her trouser pocket and pulled out my ring. I dusted it off before slipping it onto my finger.

"Much better. Now, since I can't kill you," I said, my fingertips trailing along her cheek "I guess I'll just have to find a different way to punish you"

She whimpered at my words. My hand slipped down her chin, gliding across her neck. She closed her eyes, fighting tears. I pushed her head slightly to the side and bared my fangs ready to sink them into her delectably soft flesh…

My phone rang. I cursed quietly and pulled it out, studying the number. Hmm…that was odd. Only a few people in the world had this particular number and this one I didn't recognize.

I clicked answer.

"Hello?"

"Elijah" snarled a furious voice "What have you done to Elena?" I recognized the voice instantly.

"Ah! Damon Salvatore. I was wondering when I'd hear from you" I noticed Elena's eyes widen and her heart rate quicken as I spoke.

"Cut the crap. Where's Elena?"

"She's right here. I'd let you speak to her but she's a bit tied up at the moment" I almost laughed.

"What have you done to her?"

"Nothing. Why…do you think I should?"

"You listen to me…" he began. I decided to interrupted before he started ranting fully.

"No, you listen to me. I am older and far more experienced then you. If you even attempt to find us I will torture Elena in front of you before killing you. Very slowly. Do we have an understanding Mr Salvatore?" there was a pause before he spoke again.

"I understand. Can I speak to Elena please?" I could hear the forced respect and politeness in his voice and I smiled to myself. I looked over at Elena who was staring at me, half fearful, half hopeful.

"Elena…would you like to talk to Damon?" her mouth opened in a shock gasp as if she dared not accept my offer for it would be rebuked suddenly.

"Oh I don't think she wants to talk with you Damon" I said, my voice filled with false sympathy.

"no! please!" she called out. I nodded and knelt beside her, pressing the phone against her ear. Of course, I could still hear every word uttered and should anything untoward be spoken I would make them both suffer.

"Elena! Are you okay?"

"I'm…fine Damon. I'm fine" she didn't sound incredibly convincing. Her tear-filled eyes remained focused on me and her voice cracked when she spoke.

"Has he hurt you?" I ignored the concern in his voice, concern that filled me with disgust and stared at Elena, waiting. The hand that didn't hold the phone travelled over her arm, lightly, drawing goose bumps.

"No. I'm fine"

"You don't sound fine Elena. He's hurt you hasn't he" I gripped her wrist, tightening then releasing. She winced, trying hard to disguise her pain.  
"No. I'm fine. Really Damon. Don't come here. He'll kill you"

"Yes I will" I whispered in her ear "and I will make you, lovely Elena, watch me do it"

"Please Damon!" she said, tears flowing from her eyes unbidden "Don't come looking for me. It's what he wants. He wants to punish me for running away. He'll hurt you to hurt me!" I pulled the phone away.

"There you go Damon. Now, if you'll excuse us we have some business to attend to. If I were you I'd be a good boy and listen to Elena because I will kill you, if you come anywhere near here"

"If you hurt her, I'll…" he snarled, leaving his threat unfinished.

"You'll do what?" I said, bored by the usual macho clichés "Threaten me down a phone? Don't make threats you won't be able to keep. Now, if Elena behaves I'll let her ring you again in a couple of days. If you ring this number again I will break her other wrist" I hung up, cutting off his loud stream of profanities. I tossed the phone into a darkened corner of the room and turned back to Elena who was cowering away from me, in fear. I pulled her to her feet and tossed her onto the bed. She instinctively curled up in a foetal position. I growled.

"Elena! Look at me!" I snapped. She kept her eyes firmly closed, her body rigid. He darted to the bed and flipped her onto her back, stretching her out. I straddled her waist, pinning her down with my weight.

"Why are you doing this?" she whispered, her tears running down her cheek to stain her pillows.

"I'm a vampire. I enjoy it. And last night, when I said I thought of you as a friend, I lied. To me you'll always be a human. A key, an object to use at my pleasure and discretion!" something sparked inside the fragile girl.

"Fine! Use me then! I don't care anymore! Just fucking do what you want! Hurt me! Break me because that's all I am! A fragile human. Someone who will never hurt you back because I don't count!" she screamed. I snatched up her wrist, making sure to squeeze the damaged one. Hard. I bared my fangs and sank them into her veins. She screamed in pain and started to thrash against me. She even tried to pull her wrists away unsuccessfully. One of her legs jerked sharply up, trying to kick me. I detangled myself from her and slammed her head against the headboard. I pressed my face close against hers and hissed my final threat.

"If you ever try anything like what you attempted today, not only will I kill your boyfriend, his brother and everyone else you hold dear to your heart I will also break every single bone in your body and drain you of blood"

"You can't" she gasped.

"I swear if you ever try to escape again, I will push you to the brink of death and then drag you back. Death will seem merciful compared to what I will do"

"It already does"

**A/N: Vampire diaries on in…five minutes! Yikes! Got to go! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. There will be lemons either in the next chapter or the chapter after. Not sure yet.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: back to Elena's POV. **

I lay, curled on my side with my head resting on the pillows. I'd been there for at least a week. Time disappeared as the days melted into one endless night. I had been trapped here for ages, and each segment of time was exactly the same.

I'd wake up. If Elijah was still there I'd try to move away but most days he wouldn't let me. If he was in a good mood he'd bring me breakfast, if he wasn't he wouldn't. Then he'd disappear, leaving me to cry and wish for death. Then as evening drew in, or what I guessed was evening, he'd return. I would be forced from my comforting ball, into a sitting position so he had easy access to my throat and wrists. He'd feed from me, then give me a plate of food that was laced with sedatives so I'd sleep all night without dreaming. I wasn't sure why he did that, I could only guess he was sick of my whinging.

And in the past days I had silenced myself completely, cut myself off from the world. My tears had all but dried up, my body ached but I didn't feel it. I was numb. I knew that screaming, arguing and crying wouldn't do anything except spark disgust in my captor. I had stopped protesting his attacks after all I gained were more bruises.

The door opened and I didn't even open my eyes to acknowledge it. Instead, I rolled onto my back, my arms hanging limply by my sides (he had untied them after a day or two), I kept my body as rigid as if I'd been carved from stone.

"Elena" he said. I opened my eyes, meeting his. I moved my head to the side, baring my scarred neck. He pushed my head back up and took my wrist. Instead of biting it though, he checked my pulse.

"Come on. You need a shower" he said.

"I'm allowed one now, am I?" I asked. My voice was cold and rusty from lack of use. I had asked for a shower the first day, after waking up covered in dried blood. He'd very sharply told me that I didn't deserve it, or any privileges for that matter and I was lucky he even fed me.

He didn't answer my sarcastic comment, instead he scooped me into his arms and carried me into the bathroom. He placed me on the counter top and started to run a bath. I watched vacantly as steam began to fill the room. Elijah tested the water with his hand, then reached over and ran his damp fingers over my arm.

"Warm enough?"

"Do you care?" I responded. He pulled me off the counter, so suddenly my legs weren't ready to support me. I almost collapsed but he steadied me. I wondered if part of his plan to keep me here was to make me so weak from blood loss, I couldn't physically run away.

"Hold onto the side" he said, firmly. I took a grip on the counter so my back was to him as instructed, but immediately released it when his arms came to the hem of my shirt and started to pull it over my head.

"Get off!" I shrieked, trying to pull away. His grip tightened, holding me still.

"Elena, your clothes are filthy and bloodstained. The whole point of you bathing is to get clean, so leaving them on defeats the point. And you can barely stand, which leaves me to remove them"

"I can stand!" I lied. He spun me around so I wasn't holding on anymore and then let me go. The sudden movement made me dizzy and I fell. He caught me in time. Of course.

"See? Now hold on" he said, placing my hands on his shoulders. I gripped them reluctantly as he quickly pulled off my shirt, and then my trousers. He considered for a minute, looking me up and down.

"If you go near my underwear I will stake you. I don't care if you come back from the dead ten minutes after and bite me to death. I will stake you if you touch, or even think about touching, my underwear" I told him, flatly. He shrugged and picked me up again, placing me in the bathtub. I couldn't help the quiet moan that slipped from my lips as the hot water came into contact with my bruised flesh. I glanced down at my body. Yes, bruised was definitely the right word. Particularly my arms and shoulders.

I had expected Elijah to leave the room, but he hadn't. he was sitting on the counter, looking around the room aimlessly. I sighed and decided to ignore him. I didn't know when I might next get the chance to wash so I chose to make the most of it. There was a bottle of body wash on the side and I reached out to get it. I winced as my joints popped and cracked. Being curled up for so long hurt, especially when you added bruises and possibly broken wrists into the equation. Elijah reached out and took the bottle of body wash from me. When I raised an eyebrow at him he gave me a look that politely told me I had no say in the matter. Huh. I closed my eyes as he rubbed body wash into my skin, then picked up the shower head to wash it off. He treated me like a child and it took all my strength not to argue or resist.

"How do you feel?" he asked, sitting on the bathroom floor next to me.

"Hmmm…that's a tricky one. Let's see…I've been kidnapped by a vampire, bitten, beaten, emotionally abused and subjected to abject torture. Other then that I'm just fine"

"You know I wouldn't have treated you this way if you hadn't tried to run away. Anyway, that's not what I was asking. Physically, how are you?"

"Bloody. Bruised. Broken" I stated, looking away from him.

"Elena" he said, softly "look at me" I looked over at him "I want to help you"

"You call feeding repeatedly off me helping?"

"Be quiet. I will help you Elena, if you let me" I stared at him, wondering what he planned to do. He bit down on his wrist, making it bleed then offered it to me.

"No. No way"

"Elena, it will take a long time for you to recover the state you're in without this"

"You should have thought of that sooner then" I said, refusing to take his offered blood.

"Elena, just drink it. It won't kill you" Childishly, I turned my head away. He let out a strangled growl, pulled me from the bath tub and pressed his wrist against my mouth in one swift motion. I tried furiously not to swallow but I couldn't. The black liquid trickled down my throat. At first I almost choked but I gradually got used to the feeling. The blood spread throughout my system, mending and healing. It warmed me from the tip of my toes to the top of my head. Images flashed before my eyes, bizarre pictures which made no sense to me. I saw myself, lying on a bed naked with bruises along my body. My eyes were closed but I was smiling. A shadow fell across my face and I opened my eyes, leaning forward.

Elijah pulled his wrist away suddenly and wiped it on his trouser leg. I stared at him, still trying to make sense of what I'd seen. I stepped out of the bath and took a hesitant step towards him, closing the space between us. He stood there, staring at me. I wasn't sure what I was doing. It was like my mind wasn't my own anymore.

I reached forward, took hold of his jacket lapel and pulled him closer to me. His eyes seemed to grow darker as the followed my movements. I had to stand on tiptoes to reach him but I did.

Then I kissed him.

If he was surprised he didn't show it. Instead one of his arms immediately came up to wrap around my waist, the other fisted in my hair. He kissed me back with wild abandon, pouring his anger and frustration into me as I did to him. My hands, which had been limp at my sides, now grasped at his shoulders, digging my nails in as I kissed him furiously. his tongue traced my lip and I opened my mouth. We wrestled for domination, with me eventually succumbing. I pushed myself against him harder, feeling his arousal against me.

That woke me up.

I pulled away, pushing him off me simultaneously.

"I didn't mean to do that" I stated stupidly.  
"That's okay Elena. No need to explain, I understand" he said, smiling slightly. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to me. "Get dressed then you can phone your family. Might want to phone Mr Salvatore again before he decided to go on a kamikaze mission to find you. I really would hate to kill him" He left me there, feeling incredibly confused. I had kissed him! Why the hell did I do that?

I sank to the floor, resting my head against the edge of the bathtub and picked up the first. I dutifully made my phone call to Jenna, who babbled nonsensically and reminded me about the upcoming ball. She wanted to know if I'd be back in time. I replied honestly and said I didn't know.

I decided to leave my phone call with Damon until later and instead I dialled Stefan's number. I was pretty sure he'd have his phone with him. It didn't matter if he was in a tomb, I just wanted to hear his voice. I wondered if Damon had told him about my kidnap. Probably not. No sense worrying him.

"Hello?" he said. His voice was muffled slightly, and he seemed to be out of breath.

"Hey Stefan, it's me"

"Elena…hi. What's up?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to talk to you"

"Umm…well, now isn't really a good time…I'm in the middle of something"

"Katherine causing you trouble?" I asked.

"What? Yeah. Hate being stuck here with her" he said "Do you want me to call back later?"  
"No. I'll ring you when I get a chance. Good luck, hope you nail the bitch" I didn't normally call people names but Katherine was an exception. Stefan chuckled darkly.

"Oh I will, don't worry" he hung up. I stayed motionless on the floor. I was feeling seriously guilty about my kiss with Elijah. Why had I done that? I admitted he was attractive and all but that guy had kidnapped me and broken my wrist! Not to mention everything else I'd been through because of him. I sighed and got up off the floor.

No matter what happened, I swore that I would never let him control me. I would not be his puppet.

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to DecemberSnowfall who said when she reviewed chapter twelve that she wished the kiss at the swimming pool had lasted longer.**

**Reviews are helpful not only for the plotline but to actually make me write. I have to put up with a bunch of crap each and every day and when I get home it's nice to know that some people like what I write and would get upset/annoyed if I stopped writing.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: still Elena's POV. A VIQ coming up (that stands for Very Important Question by the way). Today's question is, when I have finished this one would anyone be interested in reading another fic about Elena/Elijah? I haven't got a proper idea yet but I really like this pairing. So if you guys could tell me whether you'd read another one (if you like this one enough) and if you have any suggestions for me, let me know.**

**BTW, the lemons have arrived.**

I left the bathroom. Elijah was lying on the bed, twiddling his thumbs in deep contemplation of something. I ignored him and focused on finding some clothes.

"Am I still under house arrest?" I asked.

"If you mean, are you still confined to this room then no. If you mean, are you allowed out of the house to go anywhere then the back garden, yes you are"

"That's all I wanted to know" I said, grabbing my clothes and dressing hurriedly. I also picked up my diary which I hadn't been able to write in for the past days.

"Are you done with me phone?" he asked.

"No. I want to ring Damon later. Just…not right now" I said, heading to the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Outside. I've been trapped in one room for however long it was. I'm suffocating. If you're not careful I'll get cabin fever" I warned him. I headed outside and went to lie on the lawn. The grass was cold, the sky was already dark. I lay there for ages. I knew I had to ring Damon but I was putting it off for some unknown reason.

I picked up my diary instead and opened it.

**_Dear Diary,_**

**_I am not sure what's going on. I can't believe I kissed Elijah! What is going on with my brain. I should hate Elijah for the times he's cruel but instead I find myself loving him for the times he's nice._**

**_I wish I could get away but I have given up all hope of managing to escape. My only hope is that some immensely strong vampire shows up and defeats him but doesn't kill me._**

**_Yeah. That's likely._**

**_I need to call Damon but just thinking about that makes me feel sick. I know he's going to ask if I'm okay and I'll say 'yes I am fine'. Then he'll say 'really?' and I want to just shout NO DAMON I AM NOT FUCKING OKAY! But I won't. I'll just say 'yeah'. Because that's what he expects. He wouldn't ask if he wanted me to reply honestly._**

**_I wonder how Jeremy is, and Bonnie and Caroline. Jenna says Jeremy's fine, he's been spending time with Bonnie but I still wonder. I wonder if he misses me. Part of me hopes he does, yet the other hopes he doesn't, so if something bad happens to me it doesn't matter. I'm glad he's got Bonnie. She'll take care of him. He deserves someone nice. Bonnie is his Stefan and I'm glad._**

**_At least one of us is happy._**

**_Elena._**

I closed the diary and lay it on the grass. I picked up the phone and dialled Damon. He picked up immediately. Wow, looked like he was actually worried about me.

"Elena? Are you okay? What's happened?"

"Damon calm down. You sound like my mother. Besides I can hardly tell you how I am if you won't let me get a word in edgeways. Yes, I'm still alive. I'm fine. I would have called sooner but I've been tied up"

"You mean that literally I take it?"

"Yes"

"That bastard" he growled "Has he done anything to you?"

"Well, which part do you want to hear. The part where he bit me? The part where he broke my wrist? The part where he stuck me in the bath and fed me his blood?" I decided not to sugar-coat what had happened to me.

"HE WHAT?" Damon snarled.

"Which part are you referring to with that comment?" I asked.

"ALL OF IT!" he roared.

"Damon, calm down. It's happened and it's over. He's calmed down a bit now"

"Are you sure you don't want me to come and get you? I haven't told Stefan but just say the word and we'll be right there" I was about to say that that was stupid when part of his comment caught my attention.

"Wait…how would you get Stefan out of the tomb?"

"Elena…Stefan's been out of the tomb since the day after you left. Bonnie let him out, with the help of her warlock friend"

"No, I rang him earlier. He was still in the tomb"

"No. He's been out for ages" Everything suddenly began to spin. I was connecting the dots slowly.

Stefan had been out of the tomb all this time but he hadn't been worried about me.

Katherine must also be out the tomb but Stefan said she was still around and I was sure I'd heard her when I'd rang him.

Stefan had sounded out of breath and distracted.

I had a theory, I just prayed to god that it was wrong.

"Damon…?" I was about to say something when I heard something breaking in the background "What was that?"

"Err…oh, Stefan is having a bit of a fight with Katherine"

"Damon. What's really going on?"

"Elena…" he sounded nervous.

"FUCK KATHERINE! OH GOD!" I heard a familiar voice cry. Stefan.

Everything clicked together. The phone slipped out of my hand and a single sob slipped out of my mouth.

Elijah was at my side the instant the sound graced the air. He snatched up the phone.  
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO HER?" He roared. I jumped at the noise as he shouted at Damon.

"FINE! I'LL DEAL WITH IT!" he crushed the phone in frustration and turned to me. He crouched beside me.

"Elena? Elena are you okay? Talk to me"

"Stefan" I whispered "Stefan"

"What's happened?" I looked up at him, my brown eyes meeting his dark green.  
"You were right Elijah. He doesn't love me. He never did" Elijah picked me up and carried me inside. He lay me gently on the bed and sat next to me, stroking my hair.

"What happened?"

"He cheated on me with Katherine. I thought he cared but you were right. Vampires can't love humans. All I ever was to him was a replacement for Katherine. A temporary one"

"Elena, if he prefers her to you, then he doesn't deserve you. He deserves her. She's a manipulative unfeeling bitch who doesn't even know the meaning of the word love. I'm sure they'll be perfect for each other"

"Elijah…" I whispered, looking up at him "Can you make me forget?"

"Forget?"

"Can you make me forget that I ever loved him? Compel me so I don't remember?"

"Elena…that will erase months of your life. Those memories are part of who you are. You need them"

"Can you forget that I found out?"

"You'd rather live a lie?"

"Yes. I'd rather live a lie then live with this truth. It hurts"

"Elena…I can't do that. I'm sorry. I would but I can't" I closed my eyes to fight tears "Then…can you stop me from caring for tonight?"

"What do you mean?"

"I know you don't care about me and I don't mind. Just…please. Stop me caring" he stared at me blankly. I rose up onto my knees and kissed him. It wasn't like earlier, which had been full of anger. This one was soft and sad. He pulled away from me, startled.

"Elena…are you sure?"

"Please Elijah. Can you do this for me?" I asked, desperately clinging to him.

"Elena. I'm not Stefan" he warned.

"I know. Right now…I need a distraction. That's all" I said, meeting his eye. He took a deep breath, considering, then nodded. He reached forward and pulled me to him, kissing me. Softly at first but then growing more passionate. My hands wrapped in his hair as he moved his lips down my cheek to my neck. He nipped and sucked along my collarbone, leaving marks where his lips met my skin.

His hands went to my shirt and slipped underneath coming up to caress my breasts. I moaned softly and arched against him. I released his hair and my hands descended to his shirt, unbuttoning it slowly. He withdrew his hands from my shirt and mimicked my actions. I pushed him down onto the bed and straddled him, grinding my core against his already prominent erection. I bent down and kissed his neck, trailing kisses down his muscular chest.

I reached the button on his jeans and quickly undid it, moving so I could push them down.

He flipped us over so I was on the bottom. His mouth resumed it's slow torture along my neck, until it came to my bra strap. He slid it down with his teeth. I rubbed my still clothed hips against his, desperately desiring some form of friction.

"Patience Elena" he whispered in my ear, before gently biting the lobe. I glared at him. He pulled my trousers off and planted a kiss on my hip.

I bucked my hips but he pressed it down. His teeth grazed along my thigh and his hand stroked my damp underwear.

"You're eager Elena" he said, grinning against my skin. I bucked my hips again. He tore my underwear off and slid a single finger into my heated core. He moved it slowly, adding a second finger, then a third. I cried out in frustration at his slow pace and tried to move. He pulled his fingers out and moved up my body. His lips found my breast and encased my hardened nipple. I moaned as he sucked hard. My hand wrapped once more in his hair, pushing him down harder. I felt his teeth graze my skin and I shuddered part in shock, part in pleasure.

"God! Please…" I begged, gyrating my hips against his. He released my breast and crashed his lips against mine in a bruising kiss. I pushed him up and tugged desperately at his boxers. He allowed me to pull them from him. I almost tore them in my eagerness. He kicked them off the bed and positioned himself at my entrance. He supported himself on his elbows so I could feel him against me but didn't feel his weight.

He rubbed his member against my wet centre, then thrust into me suddenly making me cry out. He set a slow steady pace, moaning against my neck. I felt his fangs pressing against me, digging in slightly.

"Ah…Fuck!" I cried, feeling the sharp pain. He paused, a wicked grin on his face, his fangs retracting.

"Well Elena, here I thought you were a good girl" he scolded. I smiled back.

"Here I thought you were a vampire. I think my ex-boyfriend Matt moved faster then this"

"Did you just insult me?"

"Perhaps" I grinned.

"You asked for it" he wrapped my legs around his waist and thrust hard and fast, using his vampire speed and strength. I guessed he wasn't using his full power in case he hurt me. My hands gripped roughly at his shoulders, the nails digging into him. His mouth moved against my skin, covering it with bruising kisses.

"Oh god…Elijah…" I groaned, moving my hips to meet his thrusts. His wandering hands went to my breasts, pinching and kneading the skin.

"Elena…" he panted "I can't…" He thrust harder, hitting my g-spot.

"Urgh!" I screamed. Pleasure filled me, white hot. I screamed out his name as I felt my juices flow down my leg.

"Oh…FUCK!" he cried out. I watched his muscles tense as he began cumming furiously inside me. He pulled out and rolled over to lie next to me. I looked at him and laughed.

"What?" he asked.

"Your hair!" I laughed. He looked at me for a minute, then started laughing too.

**A/N: Meant to have this up two days ago but didn't get the chance.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: This chapter will be repeated in Elijah's POV because there are some very deep thoughts going on. And a LOT of fluff. I decided to do a fluffy, fun chapter because we'll be getting into the really serious chapters soon.**

When I woke up the next morning, I was facing Elijah. He was lying on his side, only half covered by the duvet. His hair was still a mess, but a it seemed to be a carefully constructed mess. I wondered if perhaps he'd got up in the night and adjusted it. He looked more relaxed then I'd ever seen him, no tension held in his face. I slowly reached out and traced the shape of his chin with my fingertip.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his eyes still closed, his mouth curling into a small smile.

"I'm memorizing you" I explained. He opened his eyes and took my hand, bringing it to his lips to kiss it and simultaneously halting my exploration.

"You don't need to memorize me. I'm still here" I sighed and sat up.

"yeah, you're here now but soon you'll get up and start acting like last night never happened. I want to remember what you were like before you change back" he sat up and pulled me against him, my bare back resting against his chest.

"I thought that's what you wanted. A distraction" his tone was mixed with confusion and questioning. I laid my head on his shoulder so I could see him. His eyes were dark today, slightly conflicted. His face had lost it's relaxed expression, and I silently cursed my inability to express my words eloquently.

"I did want that…but now I'm not sure what I want" I was lying to myself. I knew what I wanted, deep down, I'd just never admit it to anyone. Admit it to yourself Elena at least, part of me whispered. Fine. What I really wanted was Elijah, beside me forever. But he would never know that. I would never let him know that.

"Elena…" he began, I cut him off with a wave of my hand. I didn't want him to ruin this yet.

"Elijah, don't. Not yet. First, I want you to make me a promise"

"Okay…" he said, warily.

"When it come to the time…when you go to sacrifice me. I want you to promise me you won't draw it out. Make it quick, as painless as possible"

"I promise" He said, his voice was rough lacking it's normal smooth composure. I relaxed against him and closed my eyes.

"But I want you to promise me something in return Elena" my eyes flew open, met his dark green searching for some clue as to what he wanted "I can tell by your voice, you've given up. I don't want you to give up. I need you to find a reason to go on living" I pulled away, turning so I could place him under my suspicious gaze.

"Why? The blood of a willing doppelganger is just as good as an unwilling doppelganger. In fact it's probably better"

"Elena. You're young. You're life has barely begun and it's ending. If you just give up, you life immediately becomes meaningless. Just find some little reason to go on because it might not come to your death. There might be another way"

"Why are you suddenly so eager for me to stay alive?"

"Because…" he paused "I hate to see such strength go to waste. I admire your bravery and spirit Elena"

"Huh" My stomach growled, indicating it was time for breakfast. Elijah smiled, as if my human habits amused him.

"I'll make you breakfast while you shower and dress. I'm not sure I'm quite ready to return to normal yet" I liked the fact he was playing along, pretending to care. I would have refused but there was a look on his face that I'd never seen before. Like a puppy, eager to please (not that I'd ever tell him that). I looked away from him, to remove the mental image I had of Elijah as a puppy. I blushed slightly and prayed he wouldn't ask why. I felt him climb out of the bed and he started to hunt around for something. I guessed he was looking for his clothes (though I didn't know why he just didn't go get a new pair from the cupboard). I immediately located his trousers and shirt on my side of the room, and quickly hid them under my pillow, disguising my movement by reclining as if I wanted to see better.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Just…looking for something" he said, confirming my suspicions.

"What?"

"Never you mind" he continued to hunt for clothes before finally sighing and turning to me "I can't find my trousers" I tried to fight my laughter but a single giggle slipped out.

"Elena…" he said, slowly as he walked towards me.

"Elijah?" I said, playing innocent.

"Do you know where my clothes are?" he asked, eyebrow raised. I was really struggling not to laugh. I barely managed to shake my head in his direction.

"Elena…you're lying to me"

"No I'm not"

"Yes you are" I looked away, knowing that if I continued to look him in the eye I would break down. I expected him to do something, but not what he actually did. He climbed on top of me, pressing me into the bed and holding me still with one hand. With his other he began to tickle me.

"Stop! Stop!" I screamed, trying to evade his hands unsuccessfully. I could hardly breathe through my laughter.

"I'm not stopping until you give me back my clothes" he told me.

"Okay! I'll tell you!" I said, unable to handle anymore. His hands halted "They're under my pillow!" He climbed off me and retrieved the clothes, letting me slump back down, gasping for breath.

"Why didn't you just get new clothes?" I wondered allowed.

"Because I do actually plan on showering later. It seems pointless to sully perfectly good clothes before then"

"Oh. Guess that makes sense"

"Now, what would you like for breakfast?"

"Don't mind, as long as it doesn't involve blood" I told him.

"Hmm, I take it black pudding's off the menu then?" I nodded. I hated black pudding. My dad had given me some once when we were on holiday. Yuck. "Good. I was actually thinking more along the lines of pancakes" I gasped in shock.

"Wow. Elijah, you are making me pancakes. Who knew you were such a softie at heart?" He glared at me, but I saw the smallest hint of a smile tugging the corner of his mouth.

"I am not a softie" he said, firmly.

"Oh yes you are"

"Huh. We'll see" He stalked out of the room. I smiled to myself and went into the bathroom, switching on the water so it would warm up. I turned to the mirror and scrutinized my appearance. Huh. Bruises on my legs and chest but they were faint. My hair was a mess. Oh well. I'd been worse. I checked my neck and wrist. The marks had completely gone, the bracelet of bruises that had been the indication of my broken wrist was gone. Wow, vampire blood was good. I twisted my body, looking at every angle. Something was different. It was almost like I was glowing with some foreign emotion, so strong it lit up my skin.

The door flew open and Elijah was at my side. I jumped, then turned to look at him. His face was tense, his eyes darting about anxiously.

"Elijah, what is it?" I asked, worried.

"Get dressed. We're going back to Mystic Falls"


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: This is the same chapter as before, just in Elijah's POV**

I felt Elena moving, her bare leg rubbing against mine. Her chest was pressed against mine. I felt a flutter of desire in my chest. Memories of last night flashed before my eyes. Elena shifted slightly and a finger brushed my cheek,

"What are you doing?" I asked, keeping my eyes closed. My mouth twitched into a smile.

"I'm memorizing you" She said. I opened my eyes, looking straight into her brown. It was odd, after all this time a jolt still ran through me seeing her. I took her hand, stopping it's movements.

"You don't need to memorize me. I'm still here" I pointed out. She sighed and moved away, sitting up.

"Yeah, you're here now but soon you'll get up and start acting like last night never happened. I want to remember what you were like before you change back" She sounded so sad, I had to comfort her. I reached forward, pulling her so she was pressed against me, with my arms circling her.

"I thought that's what you wanted. A distraction" I was confused. Hadn't she said last night that she wanted a distraction. Had she changed her mind? Did she regret what we'd done? Or did she want something else now?

"I did want that…but now I'm not sure what I want" my heart would have leapt if it had still been beating.

"Elena…" I started. I was going to tell her, I had to tell her. She held up a hand to cut me off.

"Elijah, don't. Not yet. First, I want you to make me a promise"

"Okay…" I said, waiting for her to request something I wouldn't be able to give. I never made promises I couldn't keep. But for Elena, I would keep it. Even if she asked me the impossible I would do it.

"When it come to the time…when you go to sacrifice me. I want you to promise me you won't draw it out. Make it quick, as painless as possible" oh. Well, I could do that.

"I promise" My voice was rough, emotion filled. I had almost forgotten about the sacrifice. I knew that was the whole point of this but somewhere alone the way, I'd got distracted. She relaxed against me, her eyes sliding closed as if my agreement gave her some peace of mind. Had she really given up that much, so that my promise of a quick death was her only cause for happiness? No, she couldn't.

"But I want you to promise me something in return Elena" Her eyes met mine, looking startled and suspicious "I can tell by your voice, you've given up. I don't want you to give up. I need you to find a reason to go on living" She pulled away, turning to face me. I tried not to get distracted by how beautiful she was. Now was not the time to become aroused but still…her chest was uncovered, her breasts were slightly bruised from last night, making her skin seemed flushed as if she had a fever.

"Why? The blood of a willing doppelganger is just as good as an unwilling doppelganger. In fact it's probably better"

"Elena. You're young. You're life has barely begun and it's ending. If you just give up, you life immediately becomes meaningless. Just find some little reason to go on because it might not come to your death. There might be another way"

"Why are you suddenly so eager for me to stay alive?"

"Because…" I hesitated. I care about you. I don't want to see you get hurt. When you cry, I feel your pain. That's what I wanted to say, but of course I didn't. "I hate to see such strength go to waste. I admire your bravery and spirit Elena"

That quiet nagging voice in the back of my head urged me to tell her what I really admired about her but I shut it out.

"Huh" her stomach growled quietly and I smiled to myself. Ah, my quaint little human.

"I'll make you breakfast while you shower and dress. I'm not sure I'm quite ready to return to normal yet" I said, smiling slightly. She looked away from me, shyly. I noticed colour pooling into her cheeks and I grinned. I slid out of the bed and looked around for my trousers which seemed to have disappeared in the night. Elena had moved so she was lying down, her arms resting behind her head so she had a clear view.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Just…looking for something"

"What?"

"Never you mind" It was actually slightly embarrassing for her to know I'd lost my trousers. Eventually I had to admit defeat. "I can't find my trousers" She giggled and I shot her a suspicious look. There was something on her face, as if she was trying hard not to laugh or smile.

"Elena…" I said, approaching her like a predator stalking prey.

"Elijah?" she said, innocently smiling up at me. Too innocently.

"Do you know where my clothes are?" I asked her. She shook her head but her mouth was pressed together so tightly to avoid laughing that it looked like it had been drawn onto her face.

"Elena…you're lying to me"

"No I'm not"

"Yes you are" she looked away from me, a small wicked smile on her face. I prowled closer, then leapt. I landed on top of her, pinning her down with one hand. The other tickled her mercilessly. Yes I, Elijah the all powerful original, was _tickling _the human girl. Huh.

"Stop! Stop!" she screamed, writhing and squirming to try and avoid me. She was laughing so much, whether from my actions or just from the idea of my actions, she could barely breathe.

"I'm not stopping until you give me back my clothes" I told her, firmly.

"Okay! I'll tell you!" she cried, breathlessly. I stopped my assault, waiting for her to tell me.

"They're under my pillow!" she said. I climbed off her and lifted her up so I could fetch the clothes.

"Why didn't you just get new clothes?" she asked.

"Because I do actually plan on showering later. It seems pointless to sully perfectly good clothes before then"

"Oh. Guess that makes sense"

"Now, what would you like for breakfast?"

"Don't mind, as long as it doesn't involve blood"

"Hmm, I take it black pudding's off the menu then?" she nodded. "Good. I was actually thinking more along the lines of pancakes" she did a mock gasp and faint.

"Wow. Elijah, you are making me pancakes. Who knew you were such a softie at heart?" I glared at her.

"I am not a softie" I said, putting as much menace into my voice as possible

"Oh yes you are" she sang, smiling. I fought the urge to smile foolishly back. What was wrong with me?

"Huh. We'll see" I said, making a mental note to do something wicked and evil later just to prove myself.

Why do you have to? That irritating voice in my head was back. You don't have to prove anything to Elena. She doesn't care if you're evil or not. She likes you.

I growled under my breath and went to make pancakes. I noticed my mobile on the coffee table, flashing. Three missed calls. I checked my voicemail.

"Elijah, it's Jonas. You need to get back to Mystic Falls immediately. Klaus has been sighted in the country. He's heading here" I snapped the phone shut and darted back to the bedroom. Elena was in the bathroom at this point and I rushed in. she jumped but didn't cover herself up. Well, there was really no point. She gauged the look on my face.

"Elijah, what is it?"

"Get dressed. We're going back to Mystic Falls"


	20. Chapter 20

**Elena's POV**

"Going back to Mystic Falls? Why? What's happened?" I asked, as Elijah dragged me into the bedroom and began sorting through my bag.

"Klaus happened. He's in the country, heading for Mystic Falls. I just got a call from my contact, Jonas. He knows you exist Elena, he knows I'm with you. He's ready to end it"

"But you destroyed your phone" I said, confused, not taking in the other things he'd said. He barely glanced at me as he tossed a handful of clothing in my direction. All trace of the laughing, joking vampire were gone to be replaced with an efficient business man.

"I destroyed my personal phone Elena, I have two" he said "now get dressed!" I was slightly afraid by the way he was acting so I quickly shoved my clothes on. Elijah had finished filling a bag with supplies and was waiting impatiently for me.

"Come on!" he said, dragging me out to the car. I threw myself in and buckled quickly as he got in and started the engine.

"How long will it take to get there?" I asked.

"If I go the short way and break all speed limits, a day. Maybe two. I went the long way before so we wouldn't be followed" he said, eyes focused intently on the road.

"What happens if we don't make it there before he does?" I asked, panic filling me as I thought of my friends and family dead, like in my dream.

"He won't make a move, not yet" he sounded so sure "I know Klaus. He is every inch a showman. He'll want a big celebration, some kind of scene for him to destroy" something Jenna had said rang in my mind.

"The ball!" I blurted out.

"What?" Elijah said, confused.

"Every year the Lockwood's throw a big ball, one of the founding family things. It's a formal event, everyone goes" I looked over at Elijah, biting my bottom lip "You think Klaus will do something then?"

"Yes, I'm sure of it" he said grimly. I noticed the speed gauge move up a notch.

****Arriving in Mystic Falls because car journey's are boring to write about****

We pulled up outside my house. No one was home by the look. Elijah pulled my pink cell phone from his pocket and gave it to me.

"Elena, I need you to stay home. Don't go out unless you're with a large group of vampires or witches, don't let anyone in the house. If a stranger turns up refuse him entrance. Then call me, I programmed my number into your phone. Just remember, inside the house you're safe" He must have noticed the fear in my eyes because he reached out and stroked my cheek "I'll be watching over you, I'll make sure you're safe. I'll come over later so we can discuss plans. In the meantime, just stay in doors" he kissed my cheek and waited for me to get to the house before leaving. I went round the house, making sure all the windows were locked securely. Then I had nothing to do except sit on my bed, waiting nervously.

I heard voices and I darted to the top of the stairs. Jeremy and Bonnie were talking at the bottom and when they saw me, they simply stood there and stared for a minute, before rushing up to me.

"Elena! Oh my god, you're back!" squealed Bonnie hugging me "How? Did you escape? Is Elijah coming after you?"

"Bonnie, let her breathe!" said Jeremy, prising Bonnie off me.

"So how did you get back? Did you escape? How?"

"No, I didn't escape. Elijah brought me back" they exchanged looks of confusion.  
"Just like that? Why?" I didn't know what to tell them so I lied.

"No idea, he just did" I said "but I'm glad I'm back"

"Have you seen Damon yet?" Jeremy asked "He was really worried"

"No, not yet. But I'm not going out to see him, I don't know if Elijah's still hanging around. I feel safer inside…even if he can get in"

"He can get in our house?" Jeremy said, his eyes wide with fear.

"Yes. Jenna invited him, the day he took me. Bonnie, is there any spells you know that could retract all vampire invitations" the idea being that if Jenna had invited Klaus in already, the invite would be retracted.

"I'll have a look. I think it's a good idea for you to stay here but you should ring Damon or Stefan so they can keep an eye on you"

"Ha! If Elijah wants to take me away again, Damon isn't strong enough to stop him and both of them know that, that's why he didn't go looking for me before and I refuse to ring Stefan because he's a lying cheating dirt bag" I said, heading into the kitchen and fetching a carton of ice cream.

Bonnie and Jeremy stared after me, whispering together. Then they both left, in search of a spell for retracting invites. I went upstairs with a my ice cream and jumped when I found Elijah sitting on my bed.

"What have I told you about sneaking up on me?" I said, sitting next to him and venomously stabbing my spoon into the ice cream.

"Sorry. I was just checking up to make sure you were behaving"

"Elijah, you only left ten minutes ago. I'm fine. Bonnie and Jeremy are searching for a spell to retract invitations. They think you randomly let me go and that I should call Damon or…" I gritted my teeth "Stefan"

"And that's why you are acting this way?" he guessed, linking my foul mood with Stefan correctly.

"Yes. Because he's tricked them all and they can't see what he's doing" I said, gesturing wildly with my spoon. He took it off me and the pot of ice cream "Hey!"

"You are going to injure someone with that spoon" he told me. He filled the spoon with ice cream and fed it to me. I glared at his smug expression but didn't argue. We continued in this manner for a little while longer until I heard the door opening downstairs.

"Jenna's home" I said. Elijah nodded and placed the spoon and pot on the bed. He kissed my hand.

"I need to go make some arrangements but I'll be back tonight. We have plans to discuss" then he was gone. I went downstairs, where Aunt Jenna was unloading shopping bags.  
"Hey Jenna"

"Elena! You're back! Why didn't you ring?"

"Oh, I only just got back. Sorry, I didn't really want a parade announcing my return" I said.

"I understand. Still, now at least I can tell your friends where you are when they show up asking questions" I winced.

"Sorry. So, did I miss anything?"

"No. Caroline said if you weren't back for the Lockwood's ball, she'd find you and drag you there herself" I laughed. That was so Caroline! My laughter turned uneasy as I remembered that Jenna could have been courting death at any point without realising.

"Did any visitors come over? I mean, strangers?"

"No. just your friends and a couple of the historical society members. No one you don't know Elena" I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Just be careful who you let in the house Jenna. There are…bad people out there" her face filled with almost motherly concern.  
"Elena, what's happened? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just…I really love you Jenna. I know I don't say it but thank you so much for looking after me and Jeremy" I hugged her, trying to fight tears. Better to say my goodbyes now while I still had the chance.

"Aww, Elena I know you do. I love you and Jeremy. I'll always look after you, you know that right?"

"Yeah. So…what are you up to tonight?" I asked, wondering if I'd have to make an excuse to hide out in my room while I waited for Elijah.

"I'm going out with Rick. I mean, if that's okay. I know you just got back and if you want we can spend sometime together…" she babbled.  
"It's okay Aunt Jenna. You go and have a good time" I said, heading out of the room with the unspoken thought in my head. _While you still can._

**A/N: The next chapter will most likely be a short one between Elena and Damon (because even though I love Elijah, I also love Damon), and after that I'll return to the actual plot. Reviews feed my creative mind. Don't let it starve.**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: a bit of this dialogue was stolen from episode 10 but I added bits in. I know that episode ten actually happened before this fic started but I really liked the scene and wanted to put it in somewhere.**

Jenna was just leaving the house when Damon arrived. I wasn't surprised, I knew he'd hear that I was back soon enough, no doubt from my brother and best friend.

"Hey Damon" said Jenna, sounding surprised.  
"Jenna" he said, smiling his charming smile "Is Elena in?" his eyes flicked round the room, locating me on the stairs.

"Yes. Elena?" she turned and smiled at me. I sighed and got up.

"Come in Damon" I said. Bonnie and Jeremy still hadn't found a spell, but since Jenna said there had been no strangers around I guessed it didn't really matter anymore.

Damon came in and hovered in the corridor. I looked meaningfully at Jenna.  
"okay, I'll be back later" she said, smiling. Clearly she thought that my break up with Stefan meant I'd move onto the other brother. Damon waited until the door had closed and the car disappeared before coming over to me and pulling me into his embrace. I didn't push him away I just rested my head on his chest. We stood there for what appeared an age, without words. Eventually he pulled away.

"Elena. What happened? Bonnie said that Elijah just brought you back. I don't buy it"

"I don't care Damon, it's not your business"

"What do you mean it's not my business? To hell it's not!"

"Just like Stefan cheating on me with Katherine apparently wasn't my business" he froze.  
"I didn't want to tell you. I didn't want you to get hurt"

"Get hurt? Damon, the fact that you didn't tell me hurts! I thought I could trust you!"

"You can trust me! You can trust me more then you can trust Elijah!"

"Elijah's been looking after me for weeks now, he offered to protected all of you. What have you been doing? Nothing!"

"Looking after you? Elena, he broke your arm! You said so yourself!" he grabbed me, shaking me furiously "What had he done to you?" his eyes fell to my neck where my vervain necklace used to hang and his eyes filled with anger.

"He compelled you, didn't he? That's why you're acting this way!"

"No, Damon" I said, pushing his hand away "I'm acting this way because your brother was betraying my trust and you chose not to tell me. Elijah has not compelled me. The reason I'm acting like this because in my opinion, you and your brother are no longer welcome here!"

"Elena. Do not compare me to him! Stefan made his choice…"

"So did you!"

"I chose to care! I've been searching for you since you disappeared! I had Bonnie do every tracking spell in history to try to find you! I tried tracing your phone calls! The only thing that stopped me from actually coming to get you was you! You told me not to! You told me if I did then I would end up dead. I didn't care, I would still have come because I couldn't bare the idea of you being hurt!"

"Thank you for your concern but it's no longer needed. I'm back home, I'm safe. If you want to help, then get out! Go away and give a message to your brother. Tell him if I ever see his face again, I will stake him and Katherine too!"

"Elena, all I want is to keep you safe. When will you see that?"

"When you stop acting like a possessive bastard" he stared at me for a few minutes before speaking again, this time his voice full of command and all trace of pleading and concern stripped from it.

"Come on, we're leaving. Now"

"No"

"I said we're leaving"

"I'm not going with you"

"You do not to make decisions anymore"

"When have I ever made a decision? You and Stefan do that for me. Now this, this is my decision"

"Who's going to save your life while you're out making decisions?"

"You're not listening to me Damon. I don't want to be saved. Not if it means Klaus is going to kill every single person that I love"

"Get your ass out the door before I throw you over my shoulder and carry you out myself" He grabbed my arm.

"No!" I struggled against him, pulling free then trying to punch him. He grabbed my fist easily.

"Don't ever do that again" he said. I tried to pull my hand free "I will break your arm" he hissed. "Time to go"

"No Damon. I don't want you here. I want you to go away. It was never the choice between you and Stefan. It was always Stefan. Now that he's not in my life, you don't suddenly get a chance" I saw the hurt in his eyes. I walked to the door and opened it "Leave now Damon" he stalked over to me, his eyes now angry and determined.

"This isn't over Elena"

"Yes Damon, it is" I slammed the door, sinking to the floor. I felt awful but as I'd told him, he'd made his choice. I didn't want to be protected, I didn't care if I was in danger. I was going to die, why prolong the inevitable?

****Later****

It was getting dark and there was still no sign of Elijah. I knew better then to worry, he could look after himself but I was getting nervous. I was pacing my bedroom when the doorbell rang.

Elijah! My thoughts instantly cried. I rushed downstairs, almost tripping and falling. I laughed at my eagerness. Well, I'd been trapped with him for over two weeks. I'd got used to him being there 24:7.

I opened the door and froze.

**A/N: Cliffy. Hehehe. I know who's at the door. Do you?**


	22. Chapter 22

At the door where two people, a man and a woman. The woman was tall and slender with long chestnut brown hair and tanned skin. She was wearing a green dress and her eyes were golden, darting round restlessly.

But it was the man who drew my attention. He was lean but still muscular. His hair was dirty blonde, a wild mess of unruly curls. His eyes were dark. There was a cocky half smile on his face. He was wearing jeans, white shirt and leather jacket. The blonde version of Damon, I thought.

But I recognized him. At first I wasn't sure where I knew him from but then it dawned on me. My dream.

"Hello, you must be Elena. Your aunt, Jenna, told us you'd be here. We're from the historical society, we came to collect some of the diaries. May we come in?" he asked, smiling sweetly at me.

"No. You may not come in. Klaus" he gave me a perfectly constructed confused look.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean?"

"I'm not an idiot. I know you're here because you want to kill me, so you can use my blood to break the curse. I also know that there's no way of you getting into this house without a resident letting you in, which I'm never going to do. So you and your friend can get off my porch anytime now" I said, folding my arms. I was acting far braver then I felt. He laughed, clapping his hand slowly.

"Well done Miss Petrova. You are more perceptive then I gave you credit for. Now tell me, what's to stop me from merely compelling you to come outside so I can take you away?"

"Nothing. It's the only way you're going to get hold of me"

"Hmm. Or I could just let me friend here take care of you"

"Not a vampire then I'm guessing?" he shook his head.

"Werewolf or witch?" I asked.

"Werewolf"

"You've teamed up with a werewolf? You really are desperate. Of course, she obviously needs me as much as you do so I guess it works out. But does she know that by breaking your curse, hers is stuck?" I asked. The woman's face contorted in rage, falling for my trick.

"You're lying. He'd never do that to me"

"let me guess, he told you that he loved you? You're the one? He's a vampire, he lying. All he wants is to break the daylight curse. He needs a werewolf for that, you know" the girl spun around, her eyes ablaze. She snarled at Klaus. He rolled his eyes, grabbed her and snapped her neck.

"Nice trick Elena, but it's merely an inconvenience. I can easily find another werewolf. Perhaps your friend…Tyler?"

"How do you know my friends?"

"I know a great deal about you. I know all your thoughts, your feelings. I know what you desire most. I know all your friends as if they were my own. After all, I have known you for a long time…"

"What do you mean?" He laughed.

"You haven't figured it out yet? Oh well, I'm sure you will soon enough. Now, I'm through with games. You will let me in" I shook my head, backing away "You can't hide away for ever Elena. I am a very patient man. I will wait you out" I slammed the door shut. I could hear him laughing. I rushed to my bedroom, making sure that the window was locked. I lay on the floor behind my bed, concealed from view. I grabbed my phone and dialled Elijah.  
"Elena. What's wrong?"

"Elijah. Klaus is here. He's outside my house" I whispered.

"He can't get in?"

"No, but he tried to compel me. He says he's going to wait outside. If Jenna comes home, he'll hurt her!" I said.

"Oh yes I will, lovely Elena" a voice echoed in my head.

"Elijah. Help me!" I cried "please, quickly"

"I'll be right there" he said, hanging up. I was left, lying on the floor petrified to move. Klaus's voice whispered in my head. Telling me to open the door, to let him in. could he compel me without seeing me? Was that even possible?

_Elena…Elena…let me in…_

"Stop it" I whispered. I slowly rocked myself back and forth, hands clamped over my ears as I tried to block out the voice in my head.

"Elena" said a voice.

"Go away!" I screamed, eyes screwed shut.  
"Elena, it's me!" a hand touched my arm. I jumped, looking up to see Elijah. I fell into his arms, sobbing into his shirt.

"He's in my head Elijah. He was talking to me" he stroked my hair, cradling me close.  
"It's okay Elena. He's the original vampire, he's very powerful"

"But…he can get into my head anytime he wants? Where ever I am, he knows. He knows everything! Why is he doing this?"

"He's a showman Elena, he's a hunter. He likes to toy with people. And…I don't think this is the first time he's done this to you"

"What do you mean?"

"Remember your dreams? I think that was him, we just didn't know it. He wanted to panic you into doing something foolish, something that would play you into his hands"

"Will he try it again? Tonight? Am I safe when I go to sleep?"

"Yes Elena, I'm here. He's gone. He won't try it again, I won't let him"

"Are you sure?" I looked up at him, reassuring myself with his presence.

"Yes. I'll protect you Elena. I won't let him hurt you" he picked me up and moved us onto my bed. I lay there, resting my head on his chest.

"How did we end up like this?" I whispered.

"What do you mean?" he asked, absently.  
"Well, when we started out, you were taking me away to be sacrificed and I was terrified of you. How did that change into…this?"

"You're not still terrified of me?" he asked.

"Well, yeah I am but less, mainly because I've accepted the fact that you're going to end up killing me and I don't want to fight you anymore"

"I don't want you to be afraid of me Elena. I want you to trust me"

"I do trust you Elijah" he sighed, sitting up.

"I'm afraid we can't waste time Elena. We have plans to make. I need you to ring Bonnie, Caroline and Tyler"

"How do you know all my friends by name?" I asked.

"I looked through your phone and at their contact pictures. It wasn't hard to work out the vampires and werewolves from the humans" he admitted "Now phone them and tell them to get here as soon as they can" I didn't question him. I picked up my phone and rang Bonnie.

"Bonnie, it's Elena. Are you still with Jeremy?"

"Yes, we're still looking for that spell"

"Well you need to get over here. Immediately" I told her, hanging up before she could ask questions. I rang Caroline next and repeated the process, but told her to pick up Tyler on her way. I rang Tyler last.

"Tyler, it's Elena"

"Elena? You haven't rang me in years" he sounded surprised by my call and I didn't blame him. The only reason we'd ever hung out was because I was dating Matt and he was Matt's best friend.

"Yeah I know. I'm ringing you now because I need you to come over to my house now. Caroline will pick you up"

"Elena, what's all this about?"

"It's about you being a werewolf. Yes, Tyler I know what you are. I also know that Mason was one as well"

"How?"

"Get in the car with Caroline if you want answers" I said, hanging up and switching my phone off.

"I told them. I think they'll come. Klaus won't hurt them will he? I kind of pissed him off" I said.

"How did you manage that?"

"He came here with a werewolf girl he'd tricked. I got her mad and he had to kill her. He won't go after my friends will he?"

"Elena, this house is probably the safest place for them. I don't know if you've realised but Damon Salvatore has been watching the house for over an hour now. He's outside right now. Your friends will be safe"

"Damon's there? Oh god, I was so mean to him earlier"

"It was the only way he would leave you alone. His interference in this plan could cost him his life. It's for the best, trust me" he said, pulling me back down against him. I lay there, clinging to his shirt like it was a lifeboat in a stormy sea.

**A/N: so it was Klaus at the door. Huh, most people said it would be Stefan. I'm saving the big Stefan/Elena fight for later. I would have put it in this chapter but I decided I was being unfair on Elena, making her deal with both brothers. So instead I made her deal with Klaus who has the amazing power of being able to speak to people and compel them without his eyes. Hey, he's an original. He's got to be able to do something special, right?**


	23. Chapter 23

Bonnie and Jeremy were the first to arrive. I took Bonnie up to my room, and Jeremy followed. When they saw Elijah their responses were immediate. Bonnie propelled him against a wall, holding him there and Jeremy pulled a stake from his jean's pocket. I darted in the way before he could stake Elijah. It might not kill him but it might piss him off enough to tear Jeremy's head off. And I'm sure his ring wouldn't help him recover from that.

"Don't Jeremy. Just don't, okay?" I said, placing a hand on my brother's chest.

"Elena, what's going on?" asked Bonnie.

"Wait until Caroline and Tyler get here. I promise I'll explain. And before you ask, no I haven't been compelled"

"Okay, but you better explain pretty clearly because I have no idea what's going on at the moment" Bonnie said, sitting on my bed.

"You know, I'd appreciate it if you let me down sometime soon" Elijah said.

"Bonnie…could you?" I asked. She reluctantly released Elijah who sat on my window seat. I looked between my friend, my brother and then him. I slowly and deliberately went and sat next to him. I locked eyes with Bonnie, trying to tell her what was going on without words.

"I don't believe I have the pleasure of your acquaintance" Elijah said to Jeremy.

"I'm Jeremy"

"Ah yes, her brother. By bond rather then blood, if I remember correctly. She spoke of you often"

"What? During her kidnap?" Bonnie snarled.

"It wasn't a kidnap" Elijah sighed "more of a relocation for her protection"

"From who?" Elijah smiled at her, flashing his brilliant white teeth.

"From herself of course" The doorbell rang.

"That's Caroline and Tyler. I'm going to answer it. Please try not to kill each other while I'm gone" I said, leaving the room. I went and answered the door and was surprised to find not only Caroline and Tyler, but Damon as well.  
"Damon, what the hell are you doing here?" I demanded. Caroline held her hands up.

"It's my fault Elena. He rang me earlier, wanted to know if I knew what was going on. I told him I was coming over and he insisted"

"Fine. We're upstairs" I said, leading the way upstairs. I was anticipating a reaction from Damon, much like the one I'd got from Jeremy and Bonnie earlier. True enough, both Caroline and Damon snarled at the sight of Elijah sitting, relaxed, at my window.  
"Calm down. He's the one who wanted you here!" I said "He's not trying to kill anybody at the moment, so there is no need to fight!"

"I knew he'd compelled her" Damon muttered. I rounded on him.

"I HAVE NOT BEEN FUCKING COMPELLED!"

"No, that's true" said Elijah "I've been feeding her vervain for a while now" That was a revelation for me. I looked at him and he winked "Try and compel her, it won't work. The only person who could possibly compel her is Klaus, and that would take a while"

"Is that how I could resist him earlier?" I asked. He nodded.

"Can someone please tell me what exactly is going on?" asked Tyler looking confused.

"Okay, Tyler. As I said, I know you're a werewolf. I know Caroline is a vampire. So is Damon and Elijah" I pointed at them in turn "Bonnie's a witch, Jeremy's human but he's got a ring which prevents him being killed by anything supernatural and I'm the doppelganger of an evil bitch called Katerina Petrova. Now, the doppelganger is special because the blood of one can break the curse on vampires and werewolves. So if a vampire breaks the curse, they can walk in the sun. if a werewolf does it they can change at will. But when one person breaks it, the other species can't"

"Okay, I understand that bit"

"Well, there's this really powerful vampire called Klaus who was…the first vampire I think. Anyway, he wants to break the curse so he just showed up in Mystic Falls to do that. But he needs me. Elijah is trying to kill him, by using me to draw him out"

"Right. Why are we here?" I nodded at Elijah, for him to tell them. He'd explained the plan to me while we were waiting.

"To break the curse Klaus also needs a werewolf, witch, vampire and the moonstone. If I want him to trust me enough so I can get close enough to kill him, I need him to believe that I'm going to help him. For that I need all the ingredients for lifting the curse. You three" he looked from Bonnie, to Caroline, to Tyler "I want you to help me draw him out"

"You want us to help you? Why should we trust you?"

"Because if you don't agree willingly, I'll compel you into helping me. Then, when this is over I'll take Elena away and you'll never see her again" he said, bluntly "And if I don't kill Klaus, he will slaughter every single person in this town. Every person in the world if he is allowed to walk in the sun"

"guys, you should listen to him. Klaus needs to be stopped, this is the only way" I said, looking at them. There was silence in the room.

"I'll help. But only because Elena says it's a good idea" Caroline said.

"Ditto. I don't like you, and if you do anything to hurt my friends I'll kill you. But I'll help you" said Bonnie. We looked expectantly at Tyler.

"Fine. So what do we do?"

"We wait until the ball this weekend. Klaus won't do the sacrifice until then. He'll want everyone gathered in one place for a mass slaughter if he succeeds. You all need to be there. At midnight, we will go into the woods. He will find us there. I'll act like I'm going to sacrifice Elena, and then I'll kill him. He may have other vampires with him, and if that happens you need to fight them. I am the only one with a chance at killing Klaus, I need you to make sure there is no chance of anyone else interfering"

"Okay, you are not leaving me out of this plan" said Damon.

"Me neither" said Jeremy.

"Jeremy, you're a kid!" I protested.

"No I'm not Elena. Besides, I've got my ring! I can't die remember? I'd be useful. Just like Rick would"

"Who's Rick?" Tyler asked "Do you mean Mr Saltzman, as in the history teacher?"

"that's just his day job. Rest of the time he's a wannabe vampire hunter" Damon said.

"Actually…" Elijah said "if you want to be involved I think I know a way for you to be of use. When I got to sacrifice Elena, I want you to stage an attack on Klaus. Bonnie, you incapacitate Damon. Tyler and Caroline, you take care of Jeremy and this…Rick, if you can get him involved. You can kill them or just hold onto them. I don't care. Then when it gets into a fight, there'll be more of us"

"There's one thing you're forgetting" Bonnie said "The moonstone. You need it. Luka and I destroyed it"  
"No. Luka and his father work for me" he pulled the moonstone from his pocket and held it up to the light "See? Perfectly fine"

"That's what Mason was looking for" Tyler said as Elijah put the gem back in his pocket.  
"Yes, Mason was working for Katerina Petrova. She planned to use the moonstone and Elena as a bargaining chip. Mason worked for her because she promised she would remove the wolf curse from him"

"Why would Mason want to change at will?" Tyler asked.

"So he never had to change again" Elijah said "And before you get any smart ideas wolf boy, let me remind you that to lift the curse, Elena has to die. If Elena gets hurt by any of you, your name will be added to the list of extinct species"

"You need us. You said so yourself" said Caroline.  
"No. I said I needed a witch, werewolf and vampire. Vampires practically grow on trees around here, I could easily find a replacement. I already told you that I have two witches who work for me. The werewolf would be harder but I could find one. None of you are irreplaceable except for Elena so she is the only one I am going to protect. Now, in the meantime Klaus may try to 'reassign your loyalty' through either charm or compulsion. I have vials of vervain for those who can drink it. Take it with every meal and you should be able to resist him. I also recommend Caroline and Bonnie stay here as much as possible. This house is safe but no doubt he'll come back. I'd rather Elena is protected. Damon, you need to stay away. And make sure your idiot brother and his girlfriend don't get involved. I already said anyone who hurts Elena will have a short life expectancy. He's on the list already and if I see him, I will kill him so keep him out of the way" Elijah distributed vials of vervain and sachets of the herb to those who needed it. "Until the ball"

It was a blatant dismissal. Bonnie and Caroline said they'd be back tomorrow and stay with me until the party. Damon left to go and get Alaric involved. Tyler still seemed a bit confused by the whole business but he'd agreed to be on his guard. That left just Jeremy, Elijah and I.

"Err…Jer? Could you give us some privacy please?" I asked him. He nodded and went into his room. I sank onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"God, what a nightmare. I hate that Jeremy's involved in this"

"We need everyone we can Elena" he said. Sitting next to me and pulling my head onto his lap "I know you don't like it but it's necessary"

"You didn't tell them that you're going to have to sacrifice me"

"They didn't need to know" he said "They'd never have agreed if they knew" I nodded, knowing he was right and changed the subject.

"What are you going to do until the ball?" I asked.

"I'm going to show Klaus that you're mine" I tried to sit up but he pushed me down again "That way, he'll think I'm helping him and won't mess around with you before time. Well, he might but it's unlikely"

"How are you going to show him that?" I asked.

"I'm going to spend as much time with you, around your house as possible. And I am sorry to say that I'm going to have to be a vampire around you Elena"

"You're going to bite me?" I said, sitting up, successfully this time.

"Yes"

"How could you bite me before when you'd been feeding me vervain?"

"I have a resistance to vervain. It merely irritates the skin and stops me from compelling you. The same with Klaus, although the effects are weaker. Of course…I'll only do it if you say it's okay?"

"Do it. It's necessary. Do it" I moved my head to one side, exposing my neck. He pulled me against him and kissed along my throat, sucking and nibbling in places. I moaned quietly.

"I am so sorry Elena" he whispered, biting me.

**A/N: So in the next chapters Elijah will be acting like a possessive jerk. Good. I like dark Elijah.**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: My responses to the reviews who reviewed anonymously so I couldn't respond the normal way.**

**EI-**_**Elena doesn't realise that. The original plan was for her to die, which will weaken Klaus enough for Elijah to overpower him. In her mind, her friends are safe (ish).**_

**Claria-**_**The reason Bonnie and Caroline are staying with Elena is because Elijah is putting all his strength into protecting her. So if they're in the same place she is, then he'll technically be protecting them and they can help protect Elena. Klaus needs them alive so he won't do something crazy like burn down the house and since he can't get in, they're safest there. Especially Caroline who can't take vervain to protect herself. And not all the elements will be in the house. Elena, Bonnie and Caroline will be there but Tyler is elsewhere and Elijah keeps the moonstone hidden away. So it's not that bad an idea.**_

_I stood at the open window dressed in black leathers, a dagger strapped to my back. My hair was tied in two messy plaits. The cool night air washed over me, refreshing. I heard footsteps but didn't turn. Cool arms wrapped around my waist, holding me tight. I felt him press his mouth against my hair, kissing the top of my head._

"_What are you doing?" Elijah's voice sounded odd, different.__  
__"I'm saying goodbye to the world"_

"_You should" I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the window. I screamed, trying to pull away as I saw that it wasn't Elijah reflected, but Klaus. His grip tightened, one hand flying to my mouth.__  
__"Don't scream" he hissed "We wouldn't want to wake anyone" he turned us so that I could say Elijah lying on the bed, still asleep. "If he wakes up, he dies"_

"_Please don't hurt him" I whispered against his palm._

"_I won't if you stay quiet. Promise" I nodded frantically "Good, then we must go" he lifted me over his shoulder and I felt wind rush through my hair as he carried me away at vampire speed._

_We arrived at a darkened building. The place smelt like rot and decaying flesh. I had no idea where we were. Klaus stood on the other side of the room, watching me. I backed away slowly, approaching the window. He moved towards me, backing me up against the pane of glass. He reached out and brushed hair from my face._

"_Just please, don't hurt me?" I begged. He stroked my cheek.__  
__"Why would I want to hurt you?" I cringed away from his touch. He took my hand and pulled me over to a chair, placing me on it. I knew better then to move. He stood in front of me and pulled a pocket watch out, examined it, then put it away and knelt in front of me. I looked away. He placed a finger on my chin, pushing it to face him._

"_Just trust me. Okay?" his hand ran along my leg, making my shiver "I love you Elena. I didn't bring you here to hurt you. So you won't be needing this" he moved my hair out of the way and pulled the dagger from my shoulder and tossed it to the floor with a clatter. "It's time you realize who you belong to" he unzipped my leather jacket and stood up "Take it off" I felt no control over my body as I did as he said, tossing the jacket to the ground. Underneath I was just wearing a black lace bra. He eyed my semi clad body hungrily. He moved round so he was behind me, kneeling._

"_That's better" he whispered, wrapping his arms around me, pulling the chair into a tilt. He stroked my hair._

"_Elena. I've waited too long for this" he said, kissing my shoulder, sucking on the skin and marking me. When he released my flesh, he stroked the spot softly.__  
__"Why are you doing this?" I said, feeling tears in my eyes, which I tried to fight. He moved to my side, trying to catch my eye_

"_Everything that you've heard about me is wrong Elena. You have to believe that" I moved my head, not looking him in the eye. He moved again so he was in front of me "I want us to be together" he said, his dark eyes meeting mine. He reached out and ran a nail along my shoulder, leaving a thin trail of blood in its wake._

My eyes snapped open and I jerked upright. Elijah didn't stir. My eyes flew to the window which was open, the curtains fluttering in the breeze. I slipped out of bed and went to close it. A dark figure caught my eye and I almost screamed. Klaus was staring up at me, a smile on his face. I took an unconscious step backwards, glancing around me as if he might materialise in my bedroom.

_I see you Elena. I'm watching you._

I wanted to rush to Elijah, wake him. Get him to chase away the monsters.

_If he wakes, he dies. Remember? I see into your mind Elena. I know what you fear. I know what you desire._

I forced myself to lock eyes with the powerful original, repeating in my head, he's outside. He can't hurt you.

_I know how you feel for Elijah. I know how you wish your time with him would never end but you know his plan. He's going to sacrifice you. He's going to kill you to win back my favour. He doesn't care about you, he's just using you for his own ends. And you know that._

I'm not afraid to die.

_But I won't let you die Elena. Eventually perhaps but not before I've had my way with that beautiful body of yours. You see, I have my own plan. I intend to kill Elijah as soon as he ceases to be useful to me. Then I will have you for myself. _

_Do you know why Katerina fears me? It's not because I killed her family. Although I did that as well. She fears me because of what I can do to her. I made her want me, made her desire me even though she didn't._

I wonder why, I thought sarcastically.

_I will get to you Elena…I will…_

I slammed the window shut, cutting of his monologue temporarily.

_That wasn't very nice Elena._

"Tell it to someone who cares" I snapped, speaking out loud in frustration. Elijah stirred at my words and he half sat up.

"Elena? What are you doing?" he muttered, sleepily.

"Just closing the window" I said, sliding back into bed next to him "Go back to sleep, it's fine"

_I wonder what he'd say if he knew you were lying to him?_

PISS OFF KLAUS OR I'LL FUCKING STAKE YOU!

_Ha…_

I rolled onto my side, to angry to sleep. So much for Klaus striking fear into the hearts of people, he just annoyed the hell out of me. I snuggled (**A/N: Lol**) against Elijah and he immediately wrapped his arms around me. Ha, fuck you Klaus.

****The next morning****

I was woken up by a cold fingers on my arm. I batted it away, half heartedly but the sensation persisted.

"Okay! I'm awake!" I grumbled, rolling over to face Elijah who was smiling wickedly at me.

"Morning Elena"

"Morning Elijah. Why the surprise wake up?" I asked.

"Well, I'm sure Jenna will be wanting you to wake up soon and I wanted to talk to you while I still had the chance"

"About?"

"Would you like to go out with your friends today?"  
"You're giving me permission?"

"yes. I figure this way you get to enjoy yourself for a little bit, and I can keep an eye out for Klaus"

"Is this part of your 'staking your claim' plan?"

"Possibly"

"So you're going to be biting me in public? That's going to be awkward to explain. I mean, my friends already don't like you. If you start taking chunks out of my neck they'll hate you"

"Well actually…there are other ways to stake a claim" I must have been staring blankly because his hands moved, one to rest on my thigh, the other tangled in my hair pulling me closer to him.

"Are you talking about what I think you're talking about?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know. Why don't you show me?" he whispered, his mouth moving to kiss my throat.

"Elena!" said Jeremy, bursting into the room. I leapt up, propelling myself away from Elijah. Too late. Jeremy stared, horrified.

"Jeremy. What have I said about knocking?" I asked, looking uncomfortably between Elijah and Jeremy.

"Sorry to interrupt" he snarled, storming out of the room. I sank onto the bed, head in my hands. Elijah came to sit next to me, arm wrapped around me.  
"I'm sorry that I caused trouble between you and your brother"

"It's okay. I don't care" he spun me to face him and raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"  
"Well I guess I care a little" I admitted. He kissed my cheek. I was suddenly furious. Perhaps it was the sleepless night I'd had, Klaus's snide comments or the fact that my own brother was judging me but I was angry. I pushed him away and stood up "Okay, stop, right now"

"What?" he looked hurt.

"Okay, enough with the evasion. I'm going to ask you a question and I want a straight answer. No more hiding. No more riddles. One minute you're a business man, the next you're kissing me. What the hell is going through that mind of yours? What exactly do you feel for me, because I have no idea!"

**A/N: what will Elijah say? DUN DUN DUH! Sorry but cliffies encourage reviews, just so people can yell at me for being mean! BTW, anything in italics is inside Elena's head. **


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Elijah's POV, at least for the first bit. This chapter is dedicated to JellyBear7 who requested this. Also I have an announcement to make. *clears throat* If we break 150 reviews with this story, I will post a companion one shot (a lemony one shot but I'm not telling you the pairing). It will be a 'deleted scene' from this story, from a chapter that's going to show up later. So if you want it, you better get reviewing. **

What did I think of her? Oh Elena, if only you knew.

I wanted to say everything that had been raging around in my head since the night I'd first held her in my arms. No…before that. Since I'd first seen her these feelings had been growing. At first it had been mild attraction. She was beautiful, it was natural to desire her. Then it had grown into respect, respect for her bravery and strength. Now…I had no idea what I would call this feeling. It burned like a fire inside me, consuming every other feeling and instinct my body possessed. What was it?

"Elijah?" Elena prompted. I stared at her and opened my mouth. I would say one thing and mean another.

"Elena…I…" my words caught in my throat. After everything that I'd already put her through in my misguided attempts at keeping her safe so that I could kill her, did I really have the right to lie to her?

No. I didn't.

"I love you…Elena" I said, slowly. she stared at me for a minute, then her legs crumpled and she fell to the floor. I darted forward, catching her before she could hurt herself. I almost laughed. I finally confessed my feelings to her and she faints. Not quite the reaction I was hoping for.

I lay her on her bed and sat next to her, stroking her hair gently. I wondered how long she'd be out for. Surely what I'd said hadn't come as that much of a shock? She was the one who suspected I had hidden motives behind my actions. She was the one who'd pushed me into revealing them.

I decided to occupy my time and I picked up Elena's phone. I sent a text to Bonnie and Caroline.

The grill, midday.

Caroline replied quickly. I squinted at her text but was unable to translate all the OMG's and LOL's and other sayings that teenage girls were so fond of using.

I flipped the phone shut and put it back where I found it. I returned to the endless occupation of stroking Elena's hair, gazing fondly at the young girl before me. If it weren't for her heartbeat, her scent, I would have assumed she was a vampire. I felt like she'd compelled me. Maybe she had witch blood in her, I mused.

****Later (Yes, Elena has been unconscious for a while now. I'd be getting worried)****

I checked my watch. Elena had been out for quite some time. I was wondering if I should call someone.

There was a knock at the door.

"Elena? It's Alaric. Can I come in? I'm alone. Jenna's downstairs" I went to the door and opened it. The man jumped.

"Who are you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Who are you?" he responded.

"I'm Elijah"

"Where's Elena?"

"She's…unconscious at the moment. She fainted" the man pushed past and rushed into the room. He checked Elena's pulse.

"How long has she been out?"

"Ten minutes" I said, sitting on the end of Elena's bed "Any chance she'll wake up this millennium? I have things to be getting on with"

"What are you doing in her room anyway?" the man asked.

"I've been keeping an eye on Elena lately, keeping her safe from vampires, werewolves and ex-boyfriends" I said, smiling slightly.

"So you're the mysterious Elijah everyone's been complaining about lately. Jeremy told me about your plan. It's suicide"

"No, it's just a very difficult plan for anyone else to pull off. So are you getting involved?" I asked, raising an eyebrow "Or are you afraid of a little danger?"

"I wouldn't call Klaus a little danger. But yes, I'm in" he nodded at Elena who was moving "she's coming round"

He left and I moved so Elena's head was nestled in my lap. She opened her eyes and tried to move.

"Don't try to move. You fainted and you've been unconscious for over ten minutes. It would be best not to strain yourself" of course, she ignored me and sat up anyway.

"Elijah…did you say what I thought you did?"

"That depends. If you think that I told you I loved you, then yes. I did"

"Oh. Right"

"How are you feeling?"

"Err…good. I think. A bit confused at the moment. But good"

"So you don't mind?" She stared at me like I was an idiot.

"Elijah, you are probably the only vampire who hasn't tried to eat me or control me. That puts you pretty high up on my list of people to trust. I like you, you look after me far better then Stefan ever did. While I'm not sure how exactly this is going to work out what with me being on the list of endangered species and all but I don't mind" she smiled at me and kissed me, quickly on the lips.

"I have to go and get dressed" she said.

**A/N: Short chapter. An apology to alexilexi247. Not quite declaring from the rooftops but maybe I'll put that in later. J**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: back to Elena's POV for this chapter. I must say, this story is turning out…long. Well, longer then I originally intended. I'm not complaining, I'm just surprised you guys stuck with me for this long.**

**A little bit of a lemon in this chapter (not full blown sex but sexual activities in public place) and girl talk.**

We met Bonnie and Caroline at the grill, or rather, I did. Elijah went and found a separate table and pretended to be making notes about something. Caroline and Bonnie were chatting about what we'd do while they were staying over, as if it was a normal slumber party, when Klaus walked in. I instantly stiffened, frozen in place by his presence. Bonnie was the first to notice.

"Elena, what's wrong?" she asked. I didn't reply with words, I just nodded in Klaus's direction and let my eyes flick to him and back. Of course, he saw me looking and raised his glass in silent salute. Bonnie and Caroline followed my line of sight.

"That's Klaus?" Bonnie asked. I nodded, unable to speak.

"Wow…he's…cute" said Caroline, frowning "I was expecting some gross guy with mammoth arms and a unibrow. But he's…really cute"  
"Caroline!"

"What?"

"One, he's a murderous psychopath who's been stalking me. Two, he can hear every word you're saying" Klaus nodded, a smug smile on his face as he clearly enjoyed their gushing.

_I most certainly can. Tell your friend, Caroline, that I think she's cute too. Not as cute as you of course.__  
_"Oh shit! Sorry Elena. Forgot" Caroline cringed, before leaning forward "You have to admit though, he is cute. And young looking"

"Caroline!"

"I have to agree with her Elena. He is pretty cute" said Bonnie. I stared at her and she backtracked furiously "But obviously evil and sinister"

I groaned at my friends. They hated Elijah who was helping me, and fell in love with the bad guy? Why was the world so bloody complicated?

"Excuse me?" said Klaus, appearing at our side. I leant over and banged my head against the table in frustration.

"I was wondering if I might join you? I'm new to town, and haven't had the chance to meet many people yet" I noticed his eyes were resting on Bonnie and Caroline who seemed hypnotised. He was compelling them. I had to intervene before they could agree and get into trouble.  
"Actually, we do mind" I said, rising to my feet "so go away"

"That's not very friendly. You have an empty seat" he said, pointing at the seat next to mine.

"No, I'm saving that"

"for?" he pried.

"For…my boyfriend" I said, quickly. My eyes darted over to Elijah who had been watching the exchange with an expression that was close to rage.

"You're boyfriend?" Klaus said, sceptically.

"yes. That would be me" said Elijah, appearing at my side "I would appreciate it if you stopped bothering my girlfriend. Alright?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Physically Elijah looked older but I knew that he was younger. If they decided to fight here and now, he'd lose. I could only hope that Klaus wasn't so much of a showman that he'd engage in open warfare in the middle of the grill.

"Of course. Sorry Elena, I thought you were someone with taste" Klaus shrugged "my mistake" he returned to his old seat and began studiously reading the paper. Elijah and I took our seats.

"You really should be more careful" he scolded. At first I thought he was talking to me but then I realised his anger was directed at Bonnie and Caroline "If you two are going to be that easily manipulated, I'll have to get someone else to keep an eye on Elena"

"Sorry Elijah" they both said, hanging their head like disobedient children. I almost giggled, it was so funny. Instead I nestled up against Elijah. He slung an arm around me, his other hand resting on my thigh.

"If you two are going to act all slushy I'm leaving" said Caroline "If I want yucky romance, I'll go see Matt or Tyler"

"Sorry Caroline" I said, grinning. I felt Elijah's hand inching up my thigh. I pushed it off but he persisted. I gave him a 'you-better-not-be-doing-what-I-think-you're-doing ' look. He just grinned.

"So what are you girls planning on doing tonight?" he asked.  
"Why? Do you want to vet our plans to make sure we don't put Elena in danger?" asked Bonnie.

"Because if you do I guess we'll have to cut cliff diving and parachuting from our list" chimed in Caroline.

"You even try" said Elijah, shooting warning glances at all of us. His hand continued up my leg, slipping under the hem of my skirt.

_Tut, tut Elena. Are you misbehaving? _The comment drifted into my mind. I glanced over at Klaus who's eyes were ablaze.

Go away Klaus.

_Not very friendly. But I guess that's because you're being overly friendly with Elijah…_

I was saved from replying by Elena rubbing his hand over my damp underwear. I let out a strangled gasp. He gave me a teasing look.

"I'm going to get another drink" said Caroline "Anyone want one?"

"Not for me" said Elijah.

"Can I just have a refill?" I asked. She nodded and left. Bonnie went with her. Elijah's hand caressed my damp core, then he moved my knickers to the side and slipped a finger inside me. I tried not to show any visible response as he moved his finger in and out, adding another after a while. I closed my eyes and held tight to the table. I needed to focus.

"Uh…stop it" I growled under my breath. Elijah just smirked at me. Caroline and Bonnie returned. I noticed Bonnie giving me a strange look.

"Err…I'm going to the bathroom" I announced. Part of me wanted to stay, to let him continue but the other part warned to get the hell out of there before I embarrassed myself. Elijah quickly removed his fingers and sat on them, hiding the evidence. I breathed a quick sigh of relief and disappointment before heading to the bathroom. Bonnie followed me.

"Elena. What's going on between you and Elijah?" she asked when we reached the safety of the girl's bathroom.

"What do you mean?" I asked, inspecting my reflection in the mirror.  
"Boyfriend? Girlfriend? The way he looks at you? I've seen that look before"

"Bonnie" I said, interrupting her "Can you do me a favour? Jeremy's not talking to me at the moment. Could you get me back in his good books"

"He's your brother. Can't you talk to him?"

"No. because he's not talking to me at the moment. See how that works?" I said.

"Fine. I'll ask. So what did you do to piss him off?" I shifted uncomfortably.

"Err…he walked in on me with…Elijah. On me bed. Elijah may have had his hands in a compromising position"

"Compromising position? This sounds interesting. Where?" her eyes sparked, the way Caroline's did when she heard good gossip.

"Leg"

"Detail Elena. If I walked on you and his hand was on your ankle I wouldn't give a shit. Where on your leg?"

"Thigh. And he was about to kiss me" I admitted. Bonnie's eyes started to bug out of their sockets.  
"Elena! So are you two like, serious?"

"He told me he loved me"

"What did you say?"

"I said I didn't know how I felt"

"That's good. I mean, I don't like him Elena but he cares about you. I'm sure I can talk Jeremy round. It's not like you slept with him" again I shifted uncomfortably. If it was possible, Bonnie's eyes got even wider.  
"YOU SLEPT WITH HIM?" Her voice going so high and shrill I was surprised it didn't go out of hearing range.

"Once! It's no big deal okay? I found out Stefan was cheating on me with Katherine, I was upset. I needed a distraction. It just kind of…escalated into a…very strange…relationship"

"Why didn't you tell me? Isn't it part of the girl code that we share all romantic news?"

"Like you told me you were dating my brother?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"that's different"

"How?"

"You were away. I couldn't tell you"

"I was away when this happened. So I couldn't tell you. Fairs fair"

"Okay, I'll drop it but don't expect Caroline to. You wait until tonight" she said, grinning. I groaned.

"Can't wait"

**A/N: always respect the girl code or suffer the consequences. Remember, girls are like the mafia. You hurt one of us, you hurt all of us. Until you ask one of us out, then she no longer hates you and we become divided.**

**Not sure where I'm rambling with this. Anyway, hoped people enjoyed that brief little lime. Just 45 reviews to go and we break the barrier! Just think about that special chapter you could be getting!**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: a short chapter that I wrote for fun (blame it on too much caffeine. That stuff does crazy things to me). Basically Caroline grilling Elena about details re: Elijah and it expands into a pillow fight. Chapter dedicated to mageuchiha6990. Your review on chapter 23 was…very amusing. And I agree.**

"I can't believe you slept with him!" Caroline sang. I groaned into my ice cream tub. Caroline was sprawled out on my bed. I was sat on the floor and Bonnie was lying next to me. We'd been discussing the same subject for at least an hour, ever since Bonnie had revealed to Caroline what was going on between me and Elijah. I was kind of reluctant to talk about it because I knew he (Elijah) would be listening nearby. And no doubt Klaus would be as well. I did not particularly want the news to be broadcasted throughout the entire vampire society.

"Believe it Caroline. It won't alter the fact that it happened!" I said "Now can we please change the subject?" Bonnie and Caroline exchanged incredulous looks.

"Err…no way! We have to know everything! What was it like?"

"It was like sex. Which you had before"

"Yeah, but he's a centuries old vampire. And as they say, practice makes perfect" she waggled her eyebrows at me.  
"Come on Elena. I got Jeremy to talk to you again. You owe me!"

"Fine. It was good, okay?"

"We are not letting you get away with that. Tell us!"

"What do you want me to say?" I asked, stoppering my mouth with ice cream so I'd have an excuse to be quiet for a bit.

"Was he big?" I almost choked.

"Caroline!" Bonnie said, shocked by our friend's forwardness.

"What? Come on, he's so good looking. It's got to be illegal to be that fucking hot!" she said. "I just want to know if he's that…well endowed all the way down?"

"Yes" I muttered through my ice cream.

"What was that?"

"Yes! Okay? I said yes! He is…very big!" Caroline laughed.  
"Elena's got a boyfriend!" she sang out "Elena and Elijah sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" I pushed her off the bed, cutting her off. She fell to the floor, laughing. I buried my head under a pillow.

"That's what you get for sleeping with the bloodsuckers" said Bonnie "Stefan I could understand, at least he looked roughly the same age but Elijah's…what…in his thirties?"

"He doesn't look that old!" I protested.

"Late twenties then. But he's older then you"

"And with age comes…experience" said Caroline, lewdly.

"Okay, neither of you have any right to criticize my dating choices. Bonnie, you are going out with my baby brother and Caroline, you dated Damon!"

"He compelled me!"

"No, he compelled you not to tell anyone he was biting you. He never compelled you into sleeping with him" I said, huffily. There was silence in the room.

"We didn't mean to upset you Elena. We were just joking around" said Bonnie, tentatively. They were worried they'd upset me? Ha.

"Yeah. We were just having fun. That's all" I let out a quiet mock sob, enjoying their torment  
"Oh Elena. I'm sorry" said Bonnie hugging me. Caroline joined me. I reached over and hit them both over the head with my pillow.

"Elena!" they squealed, outraged.  
"serves you right" I said. Caroline grinned wickedly at me and grabbed a pillow, wrestling me to the ground. Bonnie started assaulting me with magic flying pillows.

"Hey!" I said, cowering away from the attack. I tried to defend myself but I knew that against a vampire and a witch it was a hopeless idea.

"Okay! I surrender!" I said, gasping and laughing.

"What do you think Caroline? Have we had enough?"

"Nope!" she said, making the p pop.

"Please!" I begged as they continued to pound me with pillows "Ah! Help! Someone help!"

The door opened and Jeremy came in.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his face torn between confusion and amusement.

"We're torturing Elena until she reveals all about her secret sex life" laughed Caroline.

"I'm not sure I want to know" said Jeremy "Just keep the noise down, I'm trying to study" he turned to leave.

"thanks for the brotherly support Jer!" I called.

"Anytime!" he said, leaving the room. Caroline and Bonnie resumed their relentless attack.

"Okay I'll tell you everything! What do you want to know?" they stopped.

"Hmm…what did he do?"

"Umm…what do you mean?"

"Dates? Foreplay?"

"Caroline, why do you want to know all this?" I asked, incredulous at her curiosity. She shrugged.

"Because I haven't had a decent relationship since Damon and I split and I want to know that other people are still out there having decent sex! So…?"

"We went…swimming together" I said "But no we've never been on a date. And…he fingered me a couple of times. But that's it"

"Oh. So much for the eternal romantic" said Caroline, slightly disappointed "You can have him, I'll stick with Edward Cullen. He's a real man"

"A) he's not a man, he's a boy and B) REAL MEN DON'T SPARKLE!" We all fell about laughing.

**A/N: Like I said, that was a joke chapter. Next chapter will be serious. I promise. Hopefully. No more Pepsi for me.**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: back to business. I have officially got that bout of randomness out of my system by listening to your betrayal by Bullet for my valentine over and over again. Yeah, that calmed me down.**

**So, this chapter is Elena's POV and it is the morning after the night before. The morning…of the ball (that was me being dramatic, or at least trying. Did it work?)**

I went downstairs. Bonnie and Caroline had yet to detach themselves from the heap of bedding so I'd gone to get coffee to entice them out.

Jenna was in the kitchen, bustling about, a smile on her face. Jeremy was eating cereal.

"Good night?" I asked, nodding at her smile. She blushed and giggled.

"Yes actually. I went to Rick's" I grinned at her and started making coffee for my two sleepy friends.

"Oh, Elena, you had some deliveries this morning" said Jenna. I looked up, confused.

"Deliveries?"

"Yes" she led me into the living room where three bouquets of flowers stood in separate vases. The first were red roses, the second white lilies, and the third was a mixed one.

"Who are they from?" I asked, incredulous.

"Well, those ones are from Damon. He came round earlier" she said, pointing at the mixed bouquet. I fished a little white card out from amidst the flowers.

**_Sorry_**

**_Damon xxx._**

Wow, Damon had put kisses in my card? Huh, I would have thought that was beneath him.

"So what about the others?" I asked.

"The roses came by courier. The lilies…don't know. You'll have to ask Jeremy, he was here when they arrived" Jenna said.

"Elijah" said Jeremy. Jenna froze, her face confused.  
"Elijah? As in Elijah who is writing a book about Mystic Falls Elijah?"

"How many other Elijah's are there?" asked Jeremy "Yes, that Elijah. He came round this morning with the lilies" I plucked the card.

**_Elena,_**

**_Be my date tonight?_**

**_Elijah._**

**_P.S. I tried to find flowers as beautiful as you but failed. These will have to do._**

Jenna peered at the note over my shoulder.

"Wow. That's…"

"Creepy?" I supplied, pretending as if the past two weeks hadn't happened. She shot me a irritated look.

"Don't act like a teenager Elena. It's clear he likes you"

"And you're okay with that?" I asked I recalled Caroline's comment from last night "He's got to be in his thirties" I heard Jeremy choking on a mouthful of cereal but I ignored him.

"If you're happy Elena, I'm happy. Besides, he's…very nice"

"Huh" I turned to the last one and pulled the note. My blood turned cold as I read it.

**_Elena,_**

**_You look beautiful when you sleep. Even better when I know that you're dreaming of me._**

**_See you tonight. The beginning and end of everything you knew._**

**_K~_**

I crumpled the note angrily.

"Who was that from?" Jenna asked.

"Stefan" I lied "wants to get back together. He can go to hell" I started towards the kitchen.

"What do you want me to do with the flowers?" Jenna called.

"Get rid of the roses" I said "I'll put the others in my room. Jeremy, could you carry them up for me? I would but I promised to get coffee for the others" Jeremy nodded and fetched the vases, taking them upstairs. I finished my coffee collecting mission and also went upstairs. I could hear Bonnie and Caroline oohing and aahing over my flowers.

"Hey" I said "Coffee" I handed them the appropriate mugs (Caroline's was one I'd painted with a smiley face that had fangs and blood. Bonnie's had a picture of a black cat on it). They drank eagerly.

"You know, I don't get how coffee can still pep me up" said Caroline "But it's brilliant"

"So" I said, sitting on the bed "What's the plan, Stan?"

"Dress shopping for tonight" Bonnie said "We have to make sure you look gorgeous for your…date" I nearly asked why they weren't mentioning the plan but then I realised that it was an act in case any evil vampires were listening.

"I was thinking something…elegant for tonight. Maybe purple" said Caroline "something vampy"

"Like a blood red corset and mini skirt? Isn't that what you wore for Halloween the other year?" I laughed.

"Oi! I had no idea about vampires then! If I did, I wouldn't have worn the skirt" we all laughed at that.

_I like the sound of that…_

Don't you have a home to go to?

I realised that I was actually getting used to conversing inside my head. That was bad.

_Yes but I like it here. The entertainment alone is enough to keep me here. Oh…I do love the colour pink on you by the way._

I blushed looking down at my pink t-shirt.

_I love it when you blush._

Get lost Klaus. You may not have things to do but I do!

"Come on, if there are any decent dresses left we might as well get them sooner rather then later" I said.

****three hours later****

"Oh come on Caroline. We've been here for ages! Just pick one dress!" Bonnie moaned. Caroline stood in front of the mirror, looking between the two dresses. One was red and clingy, the other was dark green and very elegant.

"What do you think?" she asked me.

"Well the red shows off your cleavage and butt. The green makes you look mysterious…" I trailed off.

_Tell her the red from me._

"Definitely the green" I said.

"Okay. Then I can wear those heels I've been dying to wear since I got them" we went to the cash register and paid for our dresses. Now we were going home to watch old movies until it was time to leave.  
"So is Elijah your date?" Caroline asked.  
"Well he asked me to go with him. I don't know if that counts as a date"

"If you don't go with him, you could always go with Klaus. He's been stalking us" Bonnie nodded at a café, with seats out the front. Klaus was sitting in a chair, his eyes concealed by sunglasses but it was clear he was watching us.

"Okay, I've had enough" said Caroline. She marched over to Klaus and slapped him hard across the face.  
"Stay away from Elena or I will kill your undead ass" she said. He lifted his sunglasses, barely even stunned.  
"Hmm…those are tough words coming from a kid"

"I'm not a kid!" Caroline spluttered.

"I'm over three thousand years old. To me you're a kid"

"Jerk"

"Bite me Barbie" he snarled. Caroline walked over to us and took our arms. We headed home. I glanced over my shoulder just once and saw Klaus watching me intently.

****7:30pm (sorry that this chapter is jumpy but I'm trying to get to the action!)****

"Elena, hurry up! Elijah's here!" I gave myself another look in the mirror and sighed. Well, I was no Katherine but I'd do.

"Elena!"

"Okay, I'm coming out!" I said, stepping out of the bathroom. Bonnie and Caroline gawped at me.

"What?" I said, shifting uncomfortably "It's not that bad is it?"

"Elena…you look amazing" Bonnie said. She was wearing a short purple-blue dress with a plunging neckline. I glanced at my reflection. I was wearing a long white dress, that hugged my waist and flared out at the bottom. The dress was studded with white flowers. I'd styled my hair especially, curled it and put a lily in as an accessory. I hoped Elijah liked it.  
"Do you think he'll like it?" I asked, nervously. I knew I should be nervous about the whole sacrifice thing but I was honestly more nervous about Elijah's opinion of my outfit.

"if he doesn't love it, he's insane" Caroline said. Her strappy green dress clung to her body like a second skin. I tried to ignore the sense of déjà vu in my mind. Like I'd seen these dresses before. I left my bedroom with my friends following me like bridesmaids at a wedding. I paused at the top of the stairs. Elijah was there, with Tyler and Jeremy who were Caroline and Bonnie's dates (Caroline had wanted to ask Matt but he was out of town). I gasped. Elijah had lost his usual suit for a tux. He looked…amazing.

I swept down the stairs, his eyes never leaving mine.

"You look beautiful Elena" he whispered in my ear as he kissed my cheek.

**A/N: Awww. Next chapter: THE BALL! (Still trying to be dramatic and failing). You may have to wait a little while for the next chapter (not because I'm being mean, but tomorrow I'm going out and the day after I'm going to stay with family for the weekend). I'm not going to put a label on when I'll update because last time I did that I posted three chapters early.**

**I have put pictures of all the ball gowns (Elena, Bonnie, Caroline and Katherine) on my profile as well as the t-shirt/dress Elijah gives Elena in chapter four. Just in case you wanted to see what they look like.**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: my plans for the evening were cancelled so I had nothing better to do then write and post this chapter early. It's only a short one but I thought that's better then no chapter. The next one will (hopefully) be very long.**

Elijah had actually hired a limo. We were all a bit stunned at that. Jenna had been fluttering around but she was going to the dance with Rick, in his car so she waved goodbye to us. I wished I could just keep her safe at home until this was all over but I knew I couldn't.

So I reluctantly waved at her and got in the car. Elijah took the opportunity to give us a lecture and warning us not to screw up or he'd kill us (well, he didn't say that but he implied it). I couldn't help the shiver that ran through me. Tonight was my last night, the last night I'd ever have. Elijah, seeming to sense my morbid thoughts, took my hand and kissed it.

We reached the Lockwood mansion and went in. The place was buzzing. Caroline dragged Tyler off to dance and Bonnie went to get a drink with Jeremy.

"Would you like to dance?" Elijah asked, smiling. I nodded. It was my last night alive, I had to make the most of it. He swept me onto the dance floor, holding me close to him.

"Where did you learn to dance?" I asked as he twirled me effortlessly.

"I dated a Russian ballerina for a few decades"

"huh"

"I broke it off when I found her with a werewolf"

"Let me guess, you kill them both?"

"Yes, then I returned to Klaus. That was when I was still in his favour"

"I find it hard to believe that he looks like a teenager but he's the oldest person alive"

"I never said he was the oldest person alive" I stared at him. I thought Klaus was the original vampire, which would make it that he was the oldest person alive.

"Well, he's older then you" I said "but he looks like a kid"

_I find that offensive Elena._

I stiffened automatically at the voice. Elijah noticed and pulled me closer to him, wrapping an arm around me.  
"It's okay" I felt a tear on my cheek, shaking my head.

"No it isn't" Elijah looked around, found and exit and pulled me outside. I sat down on the damp grass. Elijah sat next to me.  
"You're having second thoughts?" he guessed. I nodded. He sighed and hugged me. "It's okay Elena. As I said, I'm sure there's another way"

"I'm not afraid of dying Elijah. I just…I don't want to loose you"

"I'll be fine" he said, misunderstanding.

"No, I mean, I don't want this to end. The time I've spent with you…well, it may not have been the happiest but it's probably the best. Do you know what I mean?" he didn't reply, not with words. Instead he cupped my face in his hand and kissed me, hard. I gasped against his mouth. His tongue slipped into my mouth, and danced with mine. He pulled away suddenly.

"Elena. I swear, I will do everything I can to keep you alive"

"no. don't make promises you can't keep. Just promise me, that you'll look after my family, my friends when I'm gone" I pleaded. He nodded, not speaking.

**Elijah's POV**

Elena looked beautiful tonight in her white dress. It reminded me of a wedding dress and I felt a sudden pang of longing at the idea. I wished Elena and I could be together, forever. But she had her destiny, to be sacrificed at my hands. For years I'd been planning on how to kill Klaus, now the opportunity was here and…I wasn't sure if I wanted to anymore.

Pull yourself together! You're a vampire! She's a human! She's worthless.

That's what I tried to tell myself, unsuccessfully. As much as I'd tried to fight it, I did have feelings for Elena. I hadn't wanted them to develop because to me, the destruction of Klaus would come first but now I was beginning to wonder if this was a mistake. Perhaps I should just give up, take Elena now and run.

I stared at her. Her eyes were troubled, her face resigned. She knew what she had to do and would do it.

I stood up and led Elena back in. Klaus was standing, talking to a curvaceous redhead. When he saw me, he raised his glass in acknowledgement.

Tonight's the night Elijah. Elena will be mine. There's nothing you can do.

I snarled. There had to be another way. There had to.

**Elena's POV**

We wandered through the crowds.

"Would you like a drink?" Elijah asked.

"Please" he disappeared briefly. I leant against the wall. I could see Damon dancing with Rose (**A/N: Rose never got killed in this one**). He smiled at me as he passed. My view was suddenly cut off by a tall figure. I looked up. Of course…Klaus.

"Elena"

"Klaus"

"Would you like to dance?"

"Don't you have a date of your own?"

"No. I don't feel the need. I could have any of the girls in this room in an instant, if I desired"

"Then go play with them"

"But it's you I desire Elena" he said, flashing me his white teeth.

"Go on desiring. I won't dance"

_Yes you will._

I felt myself rising to my feet unwillingly. I glared at him and he smiled sweetly back, offering me his arm. I saw Elijah approaching with my drink and gave him a desperate look. He was at my side in an instant.

"What do you want?"

"A dance. Just a dance"

"Hmm… well go find a different partner. Elena's mine"

"Surely she can be shared?" I disliked the way they discussed me like a piece of meat. I tried to move to Elijah's side but Klaus gripped my arm.

"Let go of her" Elijah growled, noticing Klaus's nails digging into my soft skin. Tiny rivulets of blood began to flow.

"Come on Elijah. You wouldn't want to make a scene"

Not yet anyway…

I turned to Elijah who looked furiously. He couldn't fight Klaus. He couldn't win.

"Just one dance" I said to Klaus.

"Elena…" Elijah began.

"I'll be fine" I whispered, kissing his cheek. I followed Klaus to the dance floor. He spun me slowly, pushing my body closer to his then really necessary.

"You are a letch" I muttered.

"But an attractive one"

"Are you always this cocky?" I asked. He spun me again.

"Always" he said, leaning forward to whisper in my ear. His mouth trailed down my neck, coming to rest on my pulse point.

"Imagine Elena. Just one moment. You'd be mine forever" his hand rested on my neck, holding it still. I grabbed at his hand but he dug his nails into my neck. I felt his fangs pressing against my skin. Suddenly he was pulled away.

"You said one dance" said Elijah. I let out a deep breath as Elijah pulled me away. He dragged me out into the empty hall. I could tell by the way his hand gripped my arm, the furious set of his face that he was mad at what I'd done.

"Elijah! Stop!" I said. He spun around and pressed me against the wall.

"That was really stupid Elena" he snarled.

"If I hadn't done that, you would have done something even stupider" I growled back "Now let go of me!" his grip lessened but he still held me against the wall. He kissed my neck, his fangs grazing my skin and making me shiver.

"If you ever try something like that again, I will kill you" he whispered. I closed my eyes. Somewhere a clock struck twelve. My eyes flew open, my head jerking in the direction of the sound. Elijah looked too. When he looked back at me, I met his eye squarely.  
"I don't think you'll get the chance" he nodded and took my hand. We walked back through the ballroom, heading for the open doors. We didn't do anything to attract the other's attention but one by one they dropped what they were doing and began to follow us. Elijah had warned me that I'd have to act afraid, unsure of what was happening. As far as Klaus knew, I had no idea about their plan. I was supposed to think Elijah was a good guy.

As soon as we were a distance from the building, I began.

"Where are we going?" I asked, looking around.  
"Follow me" Elijah growled. I actually felt a spike of fear in me. He looked so…dangerous.

"Elijah?" he pulled me along, tugging so furiously that I thought my arm would be wrenched from the socket.

"Elijah? Elijah, stop!" I cried. He turned to me, his face contorted into a feral snarl. I tried to escape and he grabbed me by the hair, eyes boring into mine.

"Be still" he snarled. His compulsion had no effect but the venomous tone of his voice did. He pulled my neck to the side and bit me. I screamed in genuine pain. The world began to spin, then turned black.

**A/N: DUN DUN DUH! Not as short as I'd originally intended. I would have finished this earlier but I was stress baking.**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: bet you thought I'd be mean and leave you hanging. **

I woke up, tied to a tree. Huh. Elijah was standing a little way away, waiting. Bonnie, Caroline and Tyler were standing nearby. There were candles around the clearing, placed in a circle which made the place seem like it was full of ghosts.

I wanted to shout but decided not to. There was something forbidding about the atmosphere in the clearing.

"He's coming" said Elijah, suddenly. I stiffened. Here it was. All our work, all our planning. It was time.

Klaus appeared like a ghost from the fog. He was flanked by a man and a woman. Both looked incredibly menacing and were dressed in black.

"Elijah" he said, a dark smile on his face.

"Klaus. Lucille, Marcus. Long time no see" Elijah said.

"We've been busy" said the woman, Lucille. She smiled at Elijah, a lazy evil smile that mimicked the one of her master.  
"So have I"

"I can see that" her flirty tone made me guess that the pair had history. I glared at her. Whether or not Elijah had tied me to a tree and drank my blood, I still loved him (besides, it was an act. I knew that. He was just…a bit too good at acting).

"Yes" said Klaus "The doppelganger. Let me guess, you want to trade?"

"I want your favour back. In return for the girl"

"What's to stop me from just taking her and killing you?"  
"I also have the other items required. The witch, the werewolf and the vampire are loyal only to me. You would have to kill them because they would never fight for you"

"So I'd kill them. It would be an inconvenience but…" his eyes fell on me, his smile widened. I shivered "I'm sure I could manage" Elijah nodded at Bonnie. She stared at Klaus. He fell to the floor, clutching his head. Lucille and Marcus started forward, snarling.

"Enough Bonnie. What do you say now Klaus? All I want is your favour. That's hardly a large request"

"Fine" said Klaus, standing and adjusting his shirt "a deal" He walked slowly towards us, heading for me. He diverted at the last moment and came to stand in front of Elijah.

"The moonstone?" Elijah pulled it from his pocket and handed it to Klaus. "Then everything's in order. We shall…"

He was interrupted by a shout. We all looked up. Damon, Jeremy and Alaric stood at the clearing's edge. Alaric and Jeremy had stake guns.

"You won't touch her" snarled Damon, leaping forward. Everything became a blur. One second Damon was moving towards Klaus, the next he was on the floor, writhing in pain. Caroline darted forward and snapped Jeremy's neck. I screamed. My brother! I knew he'd be alive again but I'd never dreamed Caroline would kill him without so much of a flicker of mercy or regret. Tyler grabbed Alaric and grappled with him. There was a second sickening snap and Tyler rose. I could see in his eyes that he didn't like what he'd done.

"Very impressive" said Klaus, dispassionately "Now, shall we proceed" he came over to me and removed me from the tree (leaving my arms still tied together). He pulled me forward like an owner would pull a dog's leash. He moved my neck to the side and inhaled at my throat.

"Delicious" I thought I heard Elijah growled. From Klaus's smile he heard it too.

"You have some objection?"

"None sir. I just…I have adjusted to protecting the girl"

"Ah yes. You are a very good actor I must say Elijah. For a moment I actually believed you cared for the girl" Elijah's eyes met mine. They were cold, distant and reserved.

"Not at all sir. She was merely an object of convenience. A pretty little toy to pass the time" his hard words stung. I knew they weren't real but the first flickers of doubt appeared inside me. Had all of this been a lie? A elaborate scam?

"Yes, very pretty" Klaus observed. He sighed "Such a shame" he turned away and held his hand out to Marcus who handed him a silver dagger with a wicked point and a white bone handle.

"Elijah, why don't you do the honours?" Elijah took the dagger and came over to me. He grabbed hold of my hair, pulling out chunks and held me still. He raised the dagger. I saw something click in Bonnie's eyes. Realisation that Elijah was actually going to kill me. She took an unconscious step forward but I begged her with my eyes. I had chosen this.

My heart was pounding inside my head, so loud everything else was blocked out. Images danced in front of my eyes silenced. I saw Elijah with the knife, then…

"NO!" Stefan roared, darting out of nowhere with Katherine. Everything became instantly chaotic. Bonnie's concentration broke and Damon was released. He looked around, unsure whether to help his brother or stick with the plan. Tyler leapt at Marcus who was about to bite Katherine. Bodies flew, shouts and screams filled the clearing.

"ENOUGH!" Roared Klaus. Everyone froze. He approached Elijah and snarled. He pulled the knife from his clenched fist and lifted him up by the throat. "Did you think I wouldn't suspect you of treachery? I knew from the instant you arrived what you were planning. That's why I bought reinforcements" from all around other vampires appeared. They grabbed each of my friends, my family and held them still, ready to kill them the instant "Now, not only have you condemned yourself to death, you condemned your comrades" he looked around, his gaze alighting on each person in turn. Marcus had Tyler in a headlock. Lucille had pinned Caroline against a tree. Katherine was sprawled on the floor at the base of a tree. Stefan was crouched in a defensive position in front of her. One of Klaus's vampire's was snarling back at him.

"Tonight you die Elijah. For the last time" hissed Klaus "And Elena will watch" he spun Elijah around so he was facing me, his head pushed back by Klaus's arm. Elijah's eyes were eternal, filled with a deep unyielding emotion that I'd never seen on his face before. Pain. I looked away, my eyes landing on the ground.

The knife. If I could get to it, I could help. I met Bonnie's eyes and gave her a look. She nodded and the candle flames flared up, catching alight on Marcus who roared. Klaus looked away, momentarily diverted.  
"Tyler! Untie me!" I called. Tyler pulled free of Marcus's grip and tore off my bonds. I dived forward and grabbed the knife. Klaus saw what I was doing and roared.  
"NO!" But it was too late. With single-minded determination, I plunged the dagger into my chest.

I heard a scream but I wasn't sure who let it out. Caroline perhaps. I fell to the floor, the dagger slipping from my grasp. My hands were slippery with blood, my dress damp with it. I lay on the ground and felt a strange peace overcome me. There was a dull pain in my stomach but it wasn't as bad I'd imagined. I could see Elijah, he grabbed the dagger I'd dropped and stabbed Klaus with it. I watched Klaus's face grey and he collapsed. Caroline and Bonnie dispatched Lucille, Tyler finished Marcus. Jeremy and Alaric, resurrected in time, killed the others or they ran. Then Elijah came to my side. He cradled me in his arms, holding me close to him.

"Elijah" I whispered. There were tears on his cheek. They didn't look right. I reached out and stroked them away "You won"

"Shh…you need to save your strength" he whispered. He turned and snapped at someone "Get rid of the bodies. Jeremy, go get help"

"Klaus is dead?" I asked.

"Yes. He's dead, thanks to you" the world was starting to darken.

"You look funny" I muttered. He chuckled but it was forced.

"Here, drink this" I felt something damp on my lips and managed to open my mouth. I felt so tired and my eyes started to drift shut.

"No Elena! Don't go to sleep"

"But I'm so tired…"

"Drink this Elena, then you can sleep" he told me firmly. He pressed his wrist firmly against my mouth and I let the spicy liquid slip down my throat.

"How do you feel Elena?" he asked, pulling away.

"tired. My stomach hurts" I muttered. My eyes closed briefly.

"You're going to be okay Elena" he told me. I looked at him and smiled.

"Elijah…"

"You're going to be fine"

"I love you" and then I let myself fall into oblivion.

**A/N: Two chapters in a row where she falls unconscious. Sorry. Anyway, hope you liked it and now I'm going to be incredibly mean and go on a three month break. Just kidding…or am I?**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: okay, apparently everyone took it literally when I said I was going on a three month break. To the four people (out of the five who reviewed that chapter) and promised to hunt me down if I stopped writing (you know who you are), don't worry I'm not. But what I am doing is to give you all a warning. I have only a few months of peace and quiet, then I have my exams and I will have everyone shouting 'revise dammit!' so I guess I better revise. I will try to update all stories (not this one because by then it will be finished unless I become bedridden by a terrible disease, and then I will pay one of my friends to type for me) but I make no promises. Anyway, on with the chapter. ELIJAH'S POV.**

I held Elena in my arms as her eyes closed. Her heartbeat was so faint I could only just hear it.

"Elena!" I said "Elena, stay with me" I knew the others were staring but I didn't care. I looked up at them and snarled "Move the fucking bodies!"

Caroline and Tyler started shifting Klaus's body; they touched it warily as if afraid they'd catch some contagious disease from it. Bonnie closed her eyes and immediately all the candles flickered out. Good girl, I hadn't thought of that. I could hear Jeremy in the distance, running towards the house. Why had I asked him to go and not one of the vampires? They'd be there and back again by now!

"Elijah, maybe you should let her go." said Bonnie, approaching me. I snarled at her but she stood her ground "You're hurting her!" she snapped. I realised that she meant physically let her go, rather then let her die. I looked down and saw that my fingers were leaving bruises on her arm.

"Fine. You hold her" I said, rising to my feet. My shirt was bloodstained and torn from my battle with Klaus. I shook my head. Elena had saved my life. I had been about to die and I knew that. What had given the bravery to stab herself? Was it because she knew what Klaus would do to her if he succeeded or something else? I'd have to ask her that...if she survived.

But now I had another matter to deal with. I turned to Stefan and Katerina who were standing on the fringes of the clearing. Damon noticed my gaze and came to my side. Clearly, he didn't think too much of his brother's meddling either.

"Go" i growled. Katerina didn't have to be told twice. She tugged once on Stefan's arm and then disappeared. Stefan didn't move. His eyes were focused on Elena's body.

Elena, not Elena's body. I scolded myself. She'd live. She had to.

"I said go!" I repeated to Stefan. I wondered what Elena had seen in him. He was a boy, a clichéd immortal teenager who's basic emotions would be constantly overwrought with teenage hormones. He was like a bad imitation of Edward Cullen who I also had limited patience with. I wondered why women all over the world loved him so much.

"You're not in charge of me. I'm staying here until I know Elena's okay" I took a step forward as he sullied my beloved's name with his voice but Damon grabbed my sleeve.

"Please, allow me" he said, a small smile on his face. I graciously allowed him past, knowing that if I got near the boy he would soon be minus a head. Perhaps Damon could convince him to leave before that happened. I really didn't want another dead body to explain.

"Stefan. You are a bastard who broke her heart. I really doubt Elena will want to see you when she wakes up" Damon said, cheerfully as if he was discussing the weather "Now, be a good boy and run home or Elijah will rip off your head. I can tell he's itching to kill you as am I, actually"

"Yeah, like you'd really kill me" he snarled at Damon. I darted forward and grabbed him by the throat.

"No, but I would and if you even doubt that for a second, you're an idiot. Now, the only thing that is stopping me from carrying that out right now is because I am worried about Elena. However, if you don't leave I will kill you. I'm sure she won't mind. After all, you did cheat on her...which is probably the reason why we're together"

"WHAT?" He roared. Damon and I exchanged a look.

"You mean no one told you? I guess they all decided you were an asshole and it didn't matter. Yeah, Elena and I are officially together. Or we will be if she survives. Now, I'll say it one more time. Leave"

"No" he snarled back. I raised my arm to tear his head off but Jeremy darted into the clearing with Alaric.

"They're coming" he said.

"You are the luckiest vampire alive" I told Stefan, letting him go "Bonnie, get rid of him" Bonnie and I swapped places again so she could get rid of Stefan and I could hold Elena. That was when the humans arrived and started babbling about ambulances and such.

"Why were you out here anyway?" someone asked.

"Oh, well, me, Bonnie, Tyler and Elena were going to go and have a bit to drink and relax. But these guys ambushed us and Elena got stabbed. Elijah must have been walking nearby because he heard our screaming and chased the men away"

"Okay. Come on, let's get her to hospital" someone tried to prise her from my arms and I had to fight back the urge to bite them.

"I'll carry her" I said, rising to my feet and carrying her with me. I cradled her close to my body a single thought repeating inside my head, becoming my mantra.

_You have to live Elena, I love you._

**A/N: Hope we liked. It was kind of short but I basically wanted a filler chapter between last one and...Well, I'm not going to say. Cause I'm mean. Still need another 26 reviews if you want that extra chapter. And at the rate we're going...which is 5 reviews per chapter I need to post another 6 chapters. WHICH I AM NOT GOING TO DO BECAUSE THE STORY IS NEARLY OVER! (I'm crying inside)**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: Elena's POV. Sorry Alexilexi247, she's not dead. I wish she was but...my idea of an Elena/Elijah love story wouldn't work out well if she died. My apologies.**

I woke up in a bed. Everything around me was white and I briefly wondered if I was in fact dead. Was this heaven? Why did it smell like disinfectant? That was just weird. I always imagined, on the rare occasions I thought about what came after death, that it would be a beautiful countryside, snow capped mountains and fresh air. I'd never really liked the idea of the giant golden gates and clouds that kids believed in.

"Elena?" said a voice and I felt something squeeze my hand. I looked up and saw Elijah. Was he really there or was it simply my imagination supplying his image? I decided I better check.

"Am I dead?" I asked, my voice rough and scratchy. My throat felt like it had been sandpapered. He chuckled.

"No Elena. You're very much alive, thank god. Incredibly badly imaged and unable to move for at least another week but you are alive" He smiled, apparently glad that I hadn't died. I was also glad I hadn't died. Only as I'd been on the brink of death did I realise just what I was giving up and how much I had to lose. Not just Elijah, but Jeremy and Bonnie. My friends, my family.

"Wow. Err...my stomach hurts" I said, confused. There were wires all over my body, needles in my arm, connected to various machines.

"Yes, that would probably be because of the knife that ended up in your chest" he said, squeezing my hand tighter. Oh right, that made sense "Elena, don't ever do that to me again"

"You were worried?" I thought vampires didn't worry?

"Of course I was. Elena. You were a few seconds away from death" his voice trembled slightly. I reached out and stroked his cheek, wincing slightly as I pulled my stitches.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine" I said "I'm with you"

"Your friends are outside. They've been waiting for you to wake up but the nurse said you couldn't have too many visitors at a time"

"Bet that went down well" I said, sarcastically. My friends hadn't been keen about Elijah in the first place, now that I was in hospital because of him surely their objections would be even bigger.

"Actually, everyone agreed except Damon. He didn't want to leave you alone" he said "I guess I should let them in. Jeremy's outside. Jenna was here but Alaric took her home so Jeremy said he'd ring when you woke up"

"Oh. Right" I didn't want him to go and he noticed in my expression.

"I'll be right outside. I'll be back as soon as they're finished. I actually have to give my statement to the police"

"Statement? What's happening?" I wondered how much I'd missed while I was unconscious.

"Caroline told the police that you and your friends were attacked by a group of youths with knives and I scared them away" He laughed at the idea. I was glad that Caroline had come up with a plausible excuse because I didn't have the strength.

"Because you're so big and scary?" I asked, raising my eyebrow at him.

"Of course" he said. He kissed my cheek and left the room. Caroline and Damon came in.

"Elena!" Caroline squealed, hugging me. I winced again.

"Ow Caroline, still fragile"

"Sorry. Forgot my own strength" she said, letting me go. Damon grinned at me.

"You gave us a scare there" he said, bending to kiss my cheek.

"Be careful Damon, Elijah might not like it if he knew you were making moves on his girl" Damon rolled his eyes but moved away slightly.

"How long have I been out?" I asked.

"Three days. You accidentally stabbed some vital organ or something but there wasn't as much damage as they expected" Caroline gave me a conspiratorial look. Elijah's blood. I sighed with relief.

"Yeah, he stayed with you the entire time. We waited too but we left to get a change of clothes and such. Elijah didn't even do that"

"Ewww...not really romantic" I said, wrinkling my nose "He could of at least gone for a shower"

"Oh, he did actually. We brought him clothes and he persuaded the nurse into letting him use the doctor's shower. I didn't even know they had a shower!" Caroline squeaked. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was planning on hanging around outside that room in case she spotted a cute doctor. But at least that explained why Elijah wasn't covered in blood and gore.

"Speaking of clothes...where's mine?" i asked checking under the covers. I was in underwear.

"Oh, the doctors needed to be able to get to your wound and then they couldn't dress you because A) they needed to keep changing the dressing and B) Elijah was ready to blow his top if they kept fiddling with your clothes"

"Overprotective, isn't he?" asked Damon.

"Very. Are Jeremy and Bonnie here?"

"Outside. I'll get them. We actually have to go"

"Why?"

"Police. Statement. They wanted to take it earlier but, like I said, none of us would leave you"

"Did Elijah tell you the story?" Damon asked.

"Yeah but...didn't Jeremy and Rick go for help? How was the explained?"

"Oh, Elijah was walking with Rick, talking to him about history. Yawn. And Jeremy was looking for Bonnie. Then they heard the screams from the woods and came to find us"

"Okay" Damon gently pushed Caroline, indicating that she should leave. I really wanted to see Jeremy. I knew that he was probably more worried than anyone, even Elijah. He's lost too many people already. Mum, dad, Vikki, Anna. Everyone he cared about ended up dead. He was probably going out of his mind.

Bonnie came in first, her arm around my brother.

"Hey Jer" I said, weakly. He smiled at me.

"Elena, I'm so glad you're okay" he said. His words were simple but the expression in his eyes told me everything. There were dark circles under his eyes, and Bonnie's too. I winced, not out of pain this time. I wondered if any of them had got over an hour's sleep since this started. I wanted to apologise for everything I'd put them through but my throat hurt too much so I tried to tell them with my eyes.

"It's okay Elena" said Bonnie, smiling at me "We already know"

"We can't stay long. I need to call Aunt Jenna" Jeremy said "We only managed to convince her to go home because I said I'd ring the second you woke up"

"Okay. Well...don't worry her" I said. They nodded.

"Well I'm sure you're eager to see your...friend again" said Bonnie "Oh, and by the way I beat Stefan up for you"

I grinned at her; or rather I would have if it didn't hurt so much. Bonnie and Jeremy left, letting Elijah come back in.

"So...how long can until I get out?" I asked.

"A week. Not a day earlier" he said, sternly "You were incredibly lucky Elena"

"I don't think it was luck so much as vampire blood" I pointed out. He shrugged.

"I don't care what it was, I'm just glad you're okay" He hugged me gently.

**A/N: Hope you liked.**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: chapter dedicated to jasminahmed who requested this. Chapter in Damon's POV. It won't be that long though because I want to get back on the action.**

I watched Elena and Elijah embrace, through the window of the hospital room. Caroline had disappeared to get coffee. I didn't particularly want anything that didn't contain alcohol. I knew Elena was better off without me in her life, messing things up the way my brother had. Elijah cared for her, I could see that. Hell, a blind man could see it or at the very least smell the love coming off them. It was almost sickening.

But I could never get rid of the feeling that Elena would be happier with me. Perhaps that was just wishful thinking on my part. I knew I loved Elena. I wanted to be with her, so much that it was a physical ache and when Stefan had come out of the tomb cavorting with Katherine I'd thought I'd got my chance. But of course I hadn't. I would always come last in Elena's mind, beneath everyone else. She knew how I felt, I'd told her often enough but either she didn't believe me or didn't care.

"Damon, she wants to talk to you" said Elijah, coming out of Elena's room suddenly. I started.

"Why?"

"She wants to apologise and...she wants to ask you something" whatever it was he didn't look like he liked it. I slipped into the room.

"Close the door Damon" she said. I shut it gently and went to her side.

"Damon, I wanted to apologise. For how I've treated you"

"No, I should have told you about Stefan..."

"No!" she interrupted "I'm not apologising for that. When I say, how I treated you I mean since I met you. I took you for granted. You protected me and I hurt you and I'm sorry" Her hand found mine and gripped it tight. "But you need to move on. I'm not good for you"

"What?"

"You heard. As long as I'm around, you'll be suffering. I'll be hurting you just by existing and being seen. I don't want to hurt you Damon. So...I was thinking that when I get out of here I'll leave Mystic Falls. Go somewhere so I won't be hurting you anymore" She wanted to leave? No...no!

"NO!" I said "Elena, Mystic Falls is your home. I don't want you to go because of me"

"But Damon...I couldn't live with myself knowing that you want more then I can give you and it's going to make you suffer" I laughed.

"Don't worry about me Elena. I'm a vampire, I can switch it off remember? I don't have to suffer" I started to walk away but she called me back.

"Damon..." I looked at her

"What?"

"What can I do to help?"

"Nothing Elena. There's nothing you can do unless you suddenly decide to come with me" I said, bluntly.

"Don't be like that?"

"How am I supposed to be Elena? I love you; you 'love' Elijah apparently. He's evil, eviler then me. He planned to sacrifice you, remember? Whether or not he did doesn't matter. You know I'd never do that to you. You're making the wrong choice but you can't see that because you're too trusting and you never look at the bad in people, just the good. You're more of a martyr then Stefan!"

"Damon, I made my choice"

"Then we have nothing further to say to each other" I said.

"Damon" she started to move, causing herself pain in the process. I flashed to her side. She grabbed my arm.

"Promise me you won't do something stupid" she said, her eyes large and soulful.

"Don't worry Elena. I won't. I'm not you after all" and with that, I left.

**A/N: Kind of harsh Damon. I didn't intend for that to happen. **


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: Skip forward a few days to when Elena gets out of the hospital.**

**I know have VIQ (very important question). There have been a lot requests re: Klaus/Elena fics. Since I am incapable of working on more then one fic at a time (and updating regularly because I get distracted when writing more then one), I wanted to ask. Who wants me to do K/E as my next fic and who wants me to do E/E? Those three ideas I posted before will be done by the way, just postponed if people ask for K/E**

**This fic is almost over! Sob…**

I rested my weight on Elijah's shoulder as he helped me out of the car. I'd finally been allowed out of the hospital and was home, at last. I winced slightly as I moved. Elijah paused, one arm wrapped around my waist.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine. Just sore. Vampire blood apparently doesn't work on stitches"

"You got the stitches after I fed you my blood and you'd lost so much already it basically replaced rather then healed" he explained.  
"if I'd died would I have become a vampire?" I asked.

"No. the blood wouldn't have had a chance to integrate into your body" he said, his voice quiet. He wasn't overly fond of discussing my near death experience. Unfortunately, that's what everyone else wanted to talk about. How lucky I was. It wasn't luck, it was Elijah.

"Come on, they're waiting for us" he said, leading me up the path to the house. He opened the door for me and paused. At first I thought Bonnie had actually found a spell to remove invitations but I realised I was just being paranoid.

"Are you coming in?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"No, I thought I'd wait here" he said. I rolled my eyes at him and grabbed his hand, tugging him inside. Everyone was waiting in the living room, a giant banner proclaiming the words '**_welcome home Elena!_**'

They made it sound like I'd been travelling the globe rather then down the road, at the hospital. I sighed internally but put on a cheery face.

"Hey everyone!" I said, hugging anyone who came close. Elijah retreated to the corner of the room, eating the slice of the cake Jenna had made. I shot him a look a few times and he smiled smugly back at me.

Coward.

It looked like Jenna had invited half the town! Caroline, Bonnie, Tyler, Jeremy, Alaric, Matt (now back from his trip. He had visited me in the hospital too), even Uncle John (though I honestly didn't care if he was there or not). Of course, Stefan hadn't been invited and Damon wasn't talking to me. I sighed, wishing he would just accept my choices. I wanted to talk to him properly but couldn't. I had no desire to go to the boarding house where Stefan was, so I didn't get the opportunity.

I was forced to act nice, to chat like normal when all I really wanted to do was go to my room and stay there with Elijah.

"So, Elena what happened to Stefan?" asked Uncle John. I glared at him.

"We broke up" I hated the ecstatic look on his face so I continued "now I'm with Elijah"

"Oh" his expression soured "You seem to have an obsession with dating vampires don't you Elena?"

"Not that it's any of your business John. At least I know that I'm going to be well looked after" I left the room under the pretence I was getting more cake. I felt a arm encircle my waist and I jumped.  
"Don't do that when I have a knife in my hand" I scolded Elijah "Remember what happened last time?" he spun me around, took the knife from me and carefully laid it on the table.

"Did I mention that you look amazingly beautiful today?"

"yes. Twice actually"

"Can I say it a third time?"

"of course" I said, trying to fight my grin.

"You look beautiful"

"Thank you"

"I don't think your…father…likes me very much"

"he doesn't like anyone. And he's not my father" I snapped, detangling myself from his embrace "He's just some twat who knocked up Isobel, producing me in the process"

"For what it's worth, I'm glad he did" He grabbed my arm, pulling my flush against his body and kissed me hard.

****The party ends****

"Do you have to go?" I asked, my arm around Elijah's waist. The party had ended and everyone was leaving. It was drawing round to evening so Elijah was going through the pretence of going home before he would show up in my bedroom (Edward Cullen, eat your heart out!).

"While Jenna may like me, I don't think she likes me quite that much" he said "I'll be back later"

"Promise?"

"I promise. That is, if you still want me there now the threat is gone"

"Don't be daft, of course I want you there" I said "I'll leave my window open" We kissed one final time and he was gone.

I went to help Jenna tidy up.

"Did you enjoy yourself Elena?" she asked.

"Yes" Truthfully I'd rather not have bothered with a party but I did enjoy being able to have fun without worrying about sacrifices/life-and-death/Klaus.

"Good, I'm glad" she smiled.

"Err…I'm pretty tired. I'm going to have a shower and head to bed" I said.  
"Okay, tell Jeremy to come down and help tidy!" she said. I nodded, heading upstairs. I delivered Jenna's message to Jeremy and went to my bedroom. I left the water to heat up then started to undress. I'd selected a light lacy nightie to wear that night and I held it in front of my semi-clad body. A brief flurry of noise diverted my attention. I spun round to see Stefan sitting on the end of my bed, watching me intently.

"Stefan? What the fuck are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you. I haven't had the chance since you…got back"

"Yes, because I have nothing to say to you. Now get out" I snapped. He hopped off the end of the bed, and came towards me.

"Get out Stefan, now" I ordered, pointing at the window.  
"No"

"Stefan, I'm warning you!"

"You'll do what? I don't see what I've done that's so wrong"

"Hmm…let's see…number one, you slept with Katherine. Two, you lied to me and said you were still in the tomb when you weren't and three, you almost ruined our plan and endangered everyone's lives!" I shouted.

"Elena, I love you! That's why I came after you!"

"So why did you sleep with Katherine?" I said, folding my arms.

"I didn't mean to! It was an accident"

"You mean you're cock accidentally fucked her? That kind of accident? Yeah, I know what you mean because that happens all the time!" I said, sarcastically "Get out Stefan! I don't want anything to do with you!"

"No Elena! I won't let this happen" he said, grabbing me and holding me still "You belong with me!"

"Let me go Stefan!" I said, beginning to get frightened. He'd never acted like this before and I wondered if he'd been drinking human blood. His eyes rested on my throat, where my vervain necklace had once been.

"You're mine Elena" he growled.

"Leave Stefan!"

"No!"  
"Come, come is that anyway to treat a lady?" said an icy voice. We both jumped and Stefan whirled around. Elijah was leaning against the window, my vervain necklace in his hand.

"I believe she asked you to leave, Stefan. I would do as she says before things get…messy"

"Yeah right. You're all talk" Stefan snarled. Elijah flashed over to him, grabbing him by the shirt and lifting him off his feet.  
"You come near Elena again and I really will kill you. She is not coming back to you. She never will" His eyes met mine and he shot me a charming smile "will you Elena?"

"No" I said "now, can you let Stefan down so he can get out of my room? I have better things to do tonight then clean the carpets" Elijah slowly lowered Stefan to the floor but didn't let him go.

"You are going to apologise to Elena for the way you treated her, then you are going to leave without another word" he released him. Stefan turned to me.

"Sorry Elena" he said, robotically. Then he disappeared. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Glad that's over" I said.

"Me too" Elijah bent and picked up my discarded nightdress "Yours?" I snatched it away, blushing.

"I wanted to surprise you" I said, shyly.

"Well, I actually had the same idea" He took me over the window seat and sat me down. "I actually have two things for you, Elena" He pulled a slender wooden box from his pocket and handed it to me. I opened it slowly and gasped at the delicate heart shaped locket resting inside.

"It's to replace the one Stefan gave you" he said, taking it and placing it around my neck.

"it's beautiful Elijah"

"I hope you like the next just as much" he said, withdrawing from his pocket another little box, this one blue. He didn't hand it to me this time, instead he opened it. Inside, nestled in a nest of velvet was a small silver ring, with four hearts on the top, joined together at the points so they made a flower. Inside each of the hearts was a small diamond.  
"Elijah…It's beautiful"

"Elena, it doesn't have to mean anything if you don't want it to. I don't want to rush you but I'm going to ask you…will you marry me? Maybe not today or tomorrow but sometime in the future…will you marry me?"

"Yes! Of course I will!"

"Really?" he seemed surprised.

"Yes!" I hugged him tight. He kissed my cheek.

"I love you Elena Gilbert" he said, slipping the ring on my finger.

**A/N: Awww…Chapter dedicated to Lutty who wanted a Stefan/Elena conflict. Only one more chapter left I think, maybe two. Not sure yet. If there are two, they'll both be quite short. What's better two short chapters or one slightly larger?****  
****Almost at 150 reviews…wait, that means I actually have to write the chapter I promised! Nooo! Just kidding, it's almost done. I knew you guys wouldn't let me down (and I would have posted it anyway if you had cause I love you all, you anonymous strangers).**

**BTW, pictures of Elena's necklace and ring on my profile.**


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: Chapter dedicated to mageuchiha6990 and Cindy who's reviews inspired this chapter.**

We lay on my bed together, hands entwined, in silence. I'd dressed in my nightie, Elijah had undressed slightly so he was just in his trousers.

"Elijah…can we leave Mystic Falls?" I asked, suddenly. He stiffened and looked at me.  
"Why?"

"I was just thinking…Stefan is never going to leave us alone. Damon hates me. I have nothing to stay for"

"Your family? Your friends?"

"Elijah, I want to be with you. They can't be part of that world"

"You want to be a vampire?" he asked.

"Don't you want me to?"

"Eventually but not right now. Elena, you look nineteen. I look…what was it Bonnie said? In my thirties?"

"You were listening to that conversation?" I asked, stunned, remembering the conversation topic. Oh dear.

"Yes" he said, grinning slightly.

"Please tell me you're joking"

"I'm not joking Elena" he said, smile widening "I must say, I rather enjoyed your…discussion"

"I am going to kill Caroline" I growled.

"Don't. she's far too entertaining" he said "Don't be embarrassed. I don't mind that you were discussing…me with your friends. I'm glad you're that close. That's why I don't want you to loose them"

"Okay, how about a compromise?" I suggested "we wait. I live my normal life for a couple more years, get our ages closer together. I make sure my family and friends are happy, then we leave? Deal?"

"Deal. After all, I'm not going anywhere" he said "Remember. We have eternity"

"Good"

"Have I told you how much I love you?"

"Frequently but feel free to say it again" I said, snuggling against him.

"I love you"

"Me too"

"Hmmm…you need to sleep" he said suddenly.  
"Aw. Why? I'm not tired"  
"Because you probably have only had about three nights of undisturbed sleep in the past few weeks" Even at the hospital, I'd been plagued with nightmares "It's about time you relaxed"  
"You won't disappear now that I'm not in danger and don't need protecting every second?" I asked. He lifted the hand with the ring and kissed it.  
"Never. Sleep tonight Elena, for we have tomorrow to live"  
"I like the sound of that" I curled up next to him and fell asleep instantly.

****The next morning****

I left the bathroom, trying to stay calm. My dream from last night was playing far too heavily on my mind. Elijah was still on my bed, unmoved, deep in contemplation.

"What's up?" I asked, sitting next to him.

"I was just thinking…." he began.

"Uh oh"

"What?"  
"You've got that look on your face that means you're about to say something I won't like"

"Really? I have a look?" he seemed startled by this news.  
"Yes. It's worrying me. So what were you thinking about, before I die of heart failure?"

"I was just thinking, we should tell your family"

"tell them what exactly?"  
"That we're engaged"

"No. No way" I said.

"Why not? You're acting like you're ashamed to be dating me"

"It's not that. I'm just worried they'll spoil my glorious good mood"

"Good mood? After that dream?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. I stiffened

"Thought you were asleep" I muttered.

"It's hard to sleep when the person lying next to you suddenly jerks upright, heart racing. So what was it about?"

"Klaus" I said simply. Elijah's arms wound round me.

"He's dead Elena. I killed him, I set him on fire and left the body in the tomb. Even if he did miraculously come back, he can't get to you. You're safe" I relaxed into his grasp "But I still think we should tell your family before Caroline finds out and tells the whole town"

"Fine. But you have to come with me"

"Naturally. So, I'll appear in about half an hour?"

"What?"

"I'm assuming you don't want Jenna knowing I was here all night?" he said.

"Oh yeah, right. Half an hour. I'll be waiting" he kissed me on the cheek and disappeared. I went and dressed, suddenly nervous. I went downstairs and ate my cereal incredibly slowly. I hoped Jeremy would come down before Elijah got here. I really didn't want to wake him up so I could tell him I was suddenly engaged. I fiddled with the ring on my finger nervously.

"Hey Elena" said Uncle John coming in.  
"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Is that anyway to speak to your father?"

"No, but then I don't see my father anywhere around here"

"Elena…" he began, but the doorbell rang, interrupting him. Saved by the bell. I rushed to answer it.

"Elijah! You're early!" I said.

"Thought you could use an intervention. You ready?" he asked, taking my hand.

"As ready as I'll ever be" We went into the kitchen.

"Oh. Hello, Elijah" Uncle John said.

"John, good morning. Is Jenna and Jeremy around? We have an announcement to make" he said. Jenna came in, her timing perfect.

"Morning Elijah. What announcement?"

"Where's Jeremy?" I asked.

"Upstairs. I'll go get him, then you can tell all of us" she said, disappearing. That left us in an awkward silence with John until she returned.

"So what's the big news?" Jeremy asked. I looked at Elijah.

"Do you want to tell them or shall I?" he asked.

"You do it" I said.

"Okay. Elena and I are engaged" he said, quickly. It took a minute for my family (and John) to register what he'd said. Then, simultaneously they're faces changed. Jenna looked ecstatic, John looked furious. Jeremy looked slightly startled but otherwise pleased.

"Wow, Elena, honey that's so great! As long as you're not rushing into it?" Jenna said.

"Trust me Jenna, I've never been surer about anything in my life. And besides, I'm not getting married quite yet"  
"You're too young" snapped John.

"Yes, which is why we're waiting for a bit" I said, as if speaking to a toddler.

"Elena, you are not marrying him!"

"You have no say what I do!"

"Yes I do! I'm your father!" he shouted. Jenna gasped. Clearly, he hadn't got round to telling her. I ignored her reaction though and ploughed on before John could say he'd won.

"You are not my father! My father died in that car, with my mother. You are more like a sperm donor then a father!"

"I will not let you get married to a vampire!" he shouted. I froze, eyes widened.

**A/N: Didn't want this fic to end too soon. **


	36. Chapter 36

"I think you've over stayed your welcome" said Elijah, his voice calm but deadly. The ice in his glare could have frozen the sun "Leave or I'll make you"

"Fine. I'm gone. I'll leave you with your bloodsucker's whore" I saw red but before I could do anything, Jeremy darted forward and punched John in the face. His nose started to bleed.

"If you ever say anything like that about my sister again, I will kill you. You call her a bloodsucker's whore? You're a vampire junkie! Isobel? Katherine? BOTH VAMPIRES! You fucking hypocrite! At least Elena only dates one person at a time!" he shouted.

"John, get out. You've pissed off more then enough people already. Let's not add to the list" I said. He glared at me then left. I turned to Elijah.

"Not quite the reaction I was expecting"  
"Perhaps you should focus on your aunt?" he suggested. I looked at Aunt Jenna who looked like she might faint.

I went to her side.  
"Jenna? You okay?"

"Did I hear him right?"

"Yes" I said, ignoring the warning glances from Elijah and Jeremy "I'm not going to lie to her anymore" I told them.

"So…he's a vampire? How is that even possible?"

"Not sure but they exist and Mystic Falls is a bit like vampire central. At the moment thought there's only five. Stefan, Damon, Caroline, Elijah and Katherine"

"Who's Katherine?" she asked. I sighed.

"Long story. Don't worry, she won't bother you. There's also a bunch of other things running around, like witches and werewolves. Bonnie and Tyler. But it's the vampires you have to watch out for. Just, don't let people in the house"

"You're dating a vampire?" she asked.  
"Yes. Is there a problem with that?"

"No. just a bit…strange"

"Err…If I may?" Elijah began "Jenna, there is a way to make you forget this, if you want. I can make it so you don't remember having the conversation"

"No. It's…better this way. I'd rather know the truth" she said.

"Talk to Rick. He'll explain everything" I promised. Her breathing hitched.

"Is he a vampire too?"  
"No" I laughed "I said there were only five. Rick hates vampires. He kills them whenever he can for what they did to Isobel"

"Isobel?"

"My mother. Rick's ex-wife"

"Okay. So my sister's husband's brother is my niece's biological father and my boyfriend's vampire ex-wife is her mother. Huh"

"You are taking this remarkably well" said Elijah.

"Is that a bad thing?" Jeremy asked.

"No, it's just unusual"

"This is coming from the vampire, talking to the guy who can't be killed?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at them. I sighed when they stared at me blankly "I'm going out. I have things to do"

"Like what?" Elijah asked.

"Well, number one I have to go find John and hit him with my car. Number two, I have a couple of other people who will be upset if I don't tell them I'm getting married"

"Want me to come with you?" Elijah asked.

"No, I have some people who may not take the news very well, especially if you're there"

"let me drive you at least?" he said. I nodded. He led me out to his car and we started to drive.  
"What's bothering you Elena?" he asked.

"Nothing much. Just…I realised that I've got to tell Damon. I'd rather he hear it from me then anyone else, and he's not going to like it"

"Elena, you know we can wait. Ask your family to keep it a secret for a while, then when you're ready…"

"No. I want to do it. Now, soon"

"Now?" he asked.

"Not right now, but I want to be connected to you Elijah. Soon. As in, really soon"

"How soon?" he asked, slowly.

"As soon as possible. If I tell Caroline, she can probably have everything sorted in a week max" the car stopped.

"Elena…are you sure you're not rushing into this a bit. I want you to be ready"

"Elijah, I am ready" I insisted.

"Is this anything to do with your dream?" he asked.

"Why would it be?" I said. I was lying, it was exactly the reason.

"I don't know…you're acting strangely"

"Elijah, I love you. I want to be with you in every way. Now. I'd drive us to Vegas if I could, but Caroline would kill me" he still stared at me. I sighed and roughly pulled off the necklace he'd given me "Compel me. Make me tell you why"

"Elena I believe you, I just want you to be sure" I reached over and kissed him.

"I am sure"

"Okay" He started the car again and drove us to the boarding house.

"I'll wait here" he said, sensing my confliction.

"Thank you" I got out of the car and went to the door, hesitating before knocking. Katherine answered.

"Look what the bat dragged in" she said, sarcastically

"Wow, I didn't realise that a brothel had moved here" I snapped back "Is Damon home?"

"Yes. He's drowning his sorrows again. He's such a miserable thing these days"

"I wonder who's fault that is?" I muttered, heading to the living room where I assumed Damon would be. Before I could get there, Stefan appeared with a joyous expression on his face.

"Elena! You've come back!" he hugged me.

"Let me go. I'm not here to see you" I said, stiffly.

"then why are you here?" he asked, confusion clouding his face. Was he really so shallow that he thought I couldn't have a different reason to be here?

"I'm here to see Damon. I've got some important news" I went into the living room where Damon was slouched in a chair, a decanter of whisky in his hand. An almost empty decanter.

"Damon?"

"What do you want Elena?" he growled.

"I've got some important news. And I don't think you're going to like it somehow"

"What is it?" he slurred.

"I'm getting married. To Elijah"

"WHAT?" roared Stefan "I'll fucking kill him"

"I'm sure he'll be terrified when he hears" I said "All fear Stefan the bunny killer. Damon, I wanted to ask you something important?"

"What?" he said, refusing to look at me.  
"Well, I know it's traditionally a job for a father but my dad's dead and I'm not letting John anywhere near this. He'd turn it into a massacre. So I was wondering if you'd give me away?" I said, suddenly nervously. It had seemed like a good idea before but now I wasn't so sure. "If you don't want to…I'll get Jeremy to" I added, backtracking furiously as he stared at me.

"Elena…" he leapt up and swept me into a hug.

"I'd love to" he kissed me "If I can't be with you, at least I can be there for you"

Wow. Damon finally understood and all it took was an offer and a lot of whisky. I only hoped he'd be this happy sober.

**A/N: next and last chapter of this story will be the wedding. What colour dress should Elena and bridesmaid's wear? I know white's traditional but I thought maybe something a bit unusual?**

**Will post the one-shot deleted scene after I've finished this story.**


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: THE LAST CHAPTER! And I have counted up the review votes I got for either Elijah or Klaus. Sorry Elijah fans, Klaus got more then double the support Elijah had. So my next fic will be a Klaus/Elena fic. Then an Elijah/Elena fic and then maybe back to Klaus. Not sure yet. I'll give you a sneak preview after this chapter if you're nice to me.**

I stood in the hotel bathroom, sitting on the floor with my head rested against the edge of the bath.

"Are you okay Elena?" Caroline asked, through the bathroom door.

"I'm fine" I called back. I stood up and left the bathroom. Caroline and Bonnie were waiting impatiently.

"Come on, hurry up! You'll be late!" Caroline said. I'd been surprised by how quickly she'd been able to arrange everything but I guessed that was what you could do when you had the power to compel people.

"I'm ready" I said. Caroline handed me my dress. It was white with short lace sleeves. The top half clung to me, but the lower half was floaty. I slipped it on quickly and sat down in front of the mirror so Caroline could style my hair and do my makeup.

"You sit here while we go get dressed" She ordered. I remained motionless, as they disappeared into the bathroom. There was a knock at the door.  
"Come in" I called. The door opened and Jeremy came in, wearing his suit. "Hey Jer. How are you?"  
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" he teased "You look beautiful by the way"

"Thanks. Shouldn't you be with Rick and Tyler?" I asked. Rick, Tyler and Jeremy were Elijah's grooms men (the male equivalent of bridesmaid). Jeremy was the best man.

"Yeah but they told me to check on you. Elijah was worried you'd be having cold feet" I rolled my eyes.  
"I'm fine. Go back and tell Elijah that I'll be at the aisle come vampire or werewolf" Jeremy heard my voice crack and he knelt beside me.  
"What's wrong?"

"It's just…I thought that when I got married mum and dad would be there" I said, a tear leaking down my cheek. Jeremy wiped it away.  
"You'll be fine Elena. I know it's not the same thing but I'm here, Damon's here. Jenna, Caroline, Bonnie. We're your family"

"Thanks bro" I said. I kissed his cheek "Now get out before Caroline throws you out" He grinned and left. I quickly checked to make sure no more tears were in danger of ruining my makeup. Caroline would kill me if she had to do it again.

"Elena, we're ready!" Called Bonnie. I picked up the little camera I'd bought. It was a cheap wedding (Elijah had offered to pay for anything I wanted but I just wanted it to be low key) so we didn't have a professional photographer. Jenna had a photography degree so she'd be doing some of it. Bonnie and Caroline came out in their matching blue dresses, their hair carefully piled on their heads.

"You two look beautiful" I said.  
"Not as nice as you" Bonnie said "Now, come on. They're waiting!"

"Relax Bonnie" said Damon, appearing at my side "It's traditional for the bride to be late" He grinned.

"Girls, can I talk to Damon for a minute?" I asked. They nodded and left the room. I knew Caroline would still be able to hear but I didn't care. I turned to Damon.

"How much have you had to drink? You're never this happy" I said, raising an eyebrow. He pretended to be hurt.

"Elena you wound me. I have not drunk anything today!" he said.

"Are you sure?"  
"Yes! Elena…I decided that nothing I'd do would convince you to be with me and your happiness is the most important thing to me. So, as long as you're happy I'm happy"

"Really?"

"Yes. And if things don't work out, then you know I'm always here for you. In the meantime, me and Rose have an…arrangement" He grinned wolfishly. I looked him up and down, then nodded

"Fine. Let's go" we left the hotel room, meeting up with the others and went down the stairs. We were holding the wedding in Mystic Falls only hotel, renting it out for the wedding and reception. Caroline had invited almost everyone in town to attend. God, I hoped I didn't trip.

"You'll be fine" whispered Damon, holding my arm tightly as we waited beside the door. The music began and Bonnie entered, then Caroline. I took a deep breath, trying to collect my thoughts. This was the start of my future, my new life.

"Ready?" Damon asked. I nodded, unable to speak or even to breathe. Damon grasped my arm tighter and led me into the room. Everyone stared as we entered. I saw Jenna sitting, with a tissue, dabbing at her tears. I tried to smile but couldn't. My stomach felt like it was full of snakes or worms, or something equally wriggly and slimy.

My eyes swept over the assembly, finally coming to rest at the end of the aisle. Elijah. My heart missed a beat and a smile split my face. The feeling of fear faded. He was here, I was fine.

We reached the end and Damon kissed me cheek. I smiled at him and turned to Elijah. He took my hand and we both faced the registrar. I didn't pay attention to the words, my eyes were fixed on Elijah. I could tell he was doing the same. There were only two words that really meant anything to me.

"I do" I said as Elijah slipped the ring onto my finger. My eyes met him, they were deep and unreadable as always.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss the bride!" Elijah bent and kissed me passionately. Everyone clapped.

"I love you" he whispered.

"I know" I replied, smiling.

****Later****

The reception was over and I was just saying goodbye to everyone. Elijah was taking me on a honeymoon to Italy.

"Elena, can I talk to you for a minute?" asked Jeremy. I nodded and followed him into a secluded alcove.

"What's wrong Jeremy?"

"Are you going to come back from your honeymoon…different?" it took me a minute to work out what he meant.

"No. me and Elijah discussed it and we decided we'd wait for a while. Till I know you and Jenna are safe and happy" Jeremy smiled.

"Good. I'm glad. I'd hate to think this is the last time I'll see you…as you"

"I'll still be me Jeremy. Just a bit…stronger"

"Elena!" called Caroline. I stuck my head out of the alcove.  
"Yes Caroline?"

"Time to throw the bouquet!" she said cheerily. I allowed her to drag me out of the front of the hotel where everyone was waiting. I stood on the top step, back to the crowd and tossed the bouquet into the crowd.

"Oh my god!" cried Bonnie, blushing furiously as she held the flowers in her hand. She quickly passed them to Jenna and I went to Jeremy's side. He looked incredibly pleased with himself.

"Not until you're my age" I told him, sternly. He rolled his eyes. Elijah beckoned to me.

"You ready to go?" he asked.

"I was born ready" we waved one final time to our friends and climbed into Elijah's car.

"Ah, such fond memories" I muttered, slightly sarcastically.

"Be careful or I'll drug you" he said, grinning at me. I punched his arm gently and he batted me away.

"Are you ready for your new life to begin, Mrs Smith?"

"Certainly Mr Smith. Whenever you are" he leaned over and kissed me. I was ready to begin. I wanted to be with him forever. From now to eternity.

**A/N: That's the end. Sob, sob. Now, the special chapter has been placed as a different one shot under the title 'Of dreams and reality'. Enjoy! See you all in my next fic, should be up this weekend at some point.**


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